On Sunday 10th March 2024, some of Resonance’s staff and students joined our friends at Dudley Performing Arts (DPA) as they held a series of concerts at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham. The day-long event, called Dudley Goes to Symphony Hall, consisted of many music performances by young people from across the Dudley borough. Due to its large scale, the planning stages for the event began early last year, with the final concerts having around 1000-1500 participants in total. Resonance students were given the opportunity to take part alongside DPA’s students and showcased their skills as musicians with vocal, drum, violin and piano performances.

Dudley Performing Arts teaches a variety of subjects both in and out of schools, ranging from choirs, dance groups, instrument lessons and more. While much of their work is done within the schools themselves, DPA is based on-site at Resonance and teaches a number of different classes here. These include one-to-one instrument lessons and ensemble sessions, with many of the students from these classes participating in Dudley Goes to Symphony Hall. Several of the DPA teachers are associate lecturers for Resonance and teach our students their instrument lessons.

The atmosphere at the Symphony Hall on the day of the event was full of positive vibes and excitement. It was heartwarming to see how attentive and professional the students were both on and off stage, despite most of the performance groups consisting of large numbers. Our colleagues at DPA led the performances, and for some numbers provided their own compositions and arrangements. With Resonance students taking part in a variety of different roles, from ensemble members to leads and soloists, the whole day was an inspiring collaboration that proved how special music can be.

Resonance would like to congratulate our current students Charlotte Cooper, Ellie Lazarz, Eve Christopher-Vickers, Izak Guy and Thomas Fitzpatrick, and alumni Annabel Roberts for their performances at Dudley Goes to Symphony Hall, as well as for being fantastic representatives of Resonance. We’d also like to thank Chris Jones and his team at Dudley Performing Arts for all the hard work they put into bringing such a feat to life, and for giving our students the opportunity to take part.

Below is a list of our featured performers from Resonance and the numbers they were involved in:

Annabel Roberts (Drums)
Come and Play Orchestra – Carnival De Paris (Paul Spencer, Scott Rosser, Stephen Spencer), Hootenanny (Steve Henton)
Secondary Choir – You Can’t Stop The Beat (Shaiman, Wittman), Seasons of Love (Jonathan Larson), This is Me (Pasek and Paul)

Charlotte Cooper (Vocals)
Open Mic – The Climb (Miley Cyrus), Make You Feel My Love (Adele)

Ellie Lazarz (Vocals)
All Performers – Mr Bluesky (Composed by Jeff Lynne, Arranged by Chris Jones)

Eve Christopher-Vickers (Vocals)
Open Mic – Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), Skinny Love (Birdy)

Izak Guy (Violin)
Youth Strings Orchestra – Mars (Holst), Fifth Symphony (Beethoven), Hoe-Down (Rodeo) (Copeland)

Thomas Fitzpatrick (Piano)
Come and Play Orchestra – Carnival De Paris (Paul Spencer, Scott Rosser, Stephen Spencer), Hootenanny (Steve Henton)
All Performers – Mr Bluesky (Composed by Jeff Lynne, Arranged by Chris Jones)
Secondary Choir – You Can’t Stop The Beat (Shaiman, Wittman), Seasons of Love (Jonathan Larson), This is Me (Pasek and Paul)

 

Sam-James Gordon