Free concerts project saved as funding secured

A project staging free concerts to give children the opportunity to experience live music has been saved after funding was secured.

Wolverhampton Music Service and Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra have staged three performances for thousands of youngsters since the pilot scheme launched in 2023.

The annual event featured a "super orchestra" of more than 100 child and adult musicians, with pupils from every secondary school in the city attending since it began.

The project was at risk after funding from Arts Council England ended in 2026 but City of Wolverhampton Council has now committed £90,000 to keep it going for the next three years.

The authority's leader Stephen Simkins said learning about music was a "vital part of a rich and rounded education".

He said the concerts, which take place at The University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, offered a "unique experience" for pupils who attended.

Ciaran O'Donnell, head of Wolverhampton Music Service, said: "Every child should have the chance to hear a live orchestra during their school years.

"It's the most powerful and authentic way to understand what an orchestra is and what it can do."

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