Explore the Orchestra: Sea Stories is a concert designed for KS2 pupils (age 7-11) and inspired by the timeless stories of our majestic seas and oceans; the concerts fuse symphonic music with the written word to explore how the oceans have ignited the musical imaginations of so many. Presented by composer and music leader James Redwood and actor/director Lynne Forbes, the four concerts were conducted by our Assistant Conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh.

In total 4992 students watched in the hall and 22,771 students tuned in online, locally in Dorset, across the UK and further afield from the Netherlands, to Madrid, to South Carolina! Music included ranged from Pirates of the Caribbean to You’re Welcome from Moana to Debussy’s La Mer.

Student feedback, Explore the Orchestra 2024

Students enjoyed that “there were so many different types of music and instruments”, one mentioning music they particularly enjoyed such as “the sea shanty and The Pirates of the Caribbean” as well as “I liked the bit where the storm came from the story”.

Some new discoveries were made too, including that “pianos are both percussion and string instruments”, with one student noting; “I learnt what an oboe is”. Another happy student described it as “the best trip ever”.

Student feedback, Explore the Orchestra 2024

And the students weren’t the only ones to enjoy the concert! One teacher expressed that “The music was inspirational and opened a lot of children’s eyes to the possibilities of learning an instrument”, while another said “we’ve used the learnings from the concert in our music lessons and plan to use it in our leavers assembly”.

One was particularly happy because, “Most of our children do not get the opportunity to experience an orchestra”, while another said “By the time pupils leave our school, some of our students will have been to a BSO concert 3-4 times. This is an amazing opportunity — thank you!”

Student feedback, Explore the Orchestra 2024

The concert was livestreamed, providing an opportunity for schools who couldn’t attend in person to stream the concert. This broadcast is available for 30 days so students are able to catch up until 22 June.