The Orchestra, which is a registered charity, has received the largest single grant in its history following a landmark commitment from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

 

More patients in hospitals and healthcare settings will benefit, as workshops with Dorset County Hospital and Arts in Hospital expand to Dorset HealthCare sites and beyond.

 

The Orchestra plans to deepen access for pupils with those in Bristol, Dorset, Hampshire and Yeovil among the first to experience live music, as workshops and concerts tour the region.

 

With the need and demand for music provision growing, the Orchestra is calling on local philanthropists, businesses and charitable foundations to help sustain and expand these vital programmes.

 

 

Music can be life-changing, and studies frequently demonstrate its positive impact on wellbeing, teamwork, reasoning, creativity and self-esteem. While talent is distributed equally, opportunity is not – within Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s 10,000-square-mile territory, districts in 71% of counties have been identified by Arts Council England as Levelling Up for Culture Places.

 

BSO Participate sits at the core of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s mission of bringing music into people’s lives. Last year, the Orchestra created over 47,000 opportunities for people of all ages to experience the joy, inspiration and healing power of live music-making.

The Garfield Weston Foundation has committed to underpin the work of BSO Participate for a three-year period, pledging £300,000 to the Orchestra’s work in communities. A family-founded grant maker, the Foundation supports quality and excellence within the community, through arts, youth, health and environment initiatives.

Supporting hospitals and healthcare
Last year, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra launched a pilot programme with Dorset County Hospital and Arts in Hospital with weekly music-making workshops tailored for patients and staff in its dementia, stroke and children’s wards. In 2025, the programme expands across other Dorset HealthCare sites, in Poole and Sherborne.

With the support of the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Orchestra aims to work with other key NHS trusts in the region over the next three years, providing year-round support to benefit an estimated 200 nurses and 1,180 patients and their families.

Supporting children and young people
The BSO is committed to ensuring all children in the region reap the benefits of music-making. Last year, there were 35,902 participations in the Orchestra’s music education projects in 66 locations.

The Orchestra plans to deepen access to its music education projects, thanks to the Foundation’s support. Chamber-scale concerts will continue for Key Stage 1 pupils in South Somerset, in partnership with The Octagon, Yeovil – plus, SEND schools’ concerts will reach into Bristol, Dorset and Hampshire.

The BSO Young Associates programme – which was launched in 2022 to create a career springboard for aspiring community music leaders traditionally underrepresented in the arts workforce – will also expand. Recent alumni will be embedded deeper into community music-making across the region – and Creative Training Weekends for young people will reach an estimated 60 aspiring music leaders over the three-year period.

Dorset HealthCare and Dorset County Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Bryant, said:
“Bringing live music into the hospital environment has had a powerful impact for everyone.  At a ward level it changes the environment for patients, families and staff.  It can bring a bit of normality into a very difficult situation – we have seen the power of music to make a difference in caring for people at the end of life, but also to support rehabilitation and feeling better for patients who are on a journey of recovery.  We’re looking forward to the next stage of this exciting work in our partnership with the BSO.”

Feedback from a Primary School teacher, in Yeovil, Somerset:
“…a lovely afternoon: informative, well planned and being a free event was very brilliant too!”

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Executive, Dougie Scarfe OBE DL, said:
“This grant is a game-changer for us – we are deeply grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation, whose support allows us to make a lasting and meaningful impact in schools, hospitals and communities across the South West. As a charity, we rely on ongoing support to keep these vital programmes running – and we invite other funders to join us in transforming lives through the power of music. We know that our creative wellbeing and music education programmes make a difference to people’s lives, and with challenges facing people of all ages we’re certain the positive impacts of this work will be felt deeply.”

To learn more about Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s work in communities across the South West, visit bsolive.com

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