Orchestras For All: National music youth charity to move from London to Sheffield
The national music youth charity Orchestras For All (OFA) has announced it will relocate to Sheffield from its London HQ.
Harmony Works, which is in the process of renovating Canada House on Commercial Street into a music venue, volunteered itself to OFA’s national callout for a new home.
The £12.8m plan to transform the existing grand five-storey building into a thriving music hub in Sheffield City Centre was announced in 2022.
Though already home to a professional orchestra, The Brigantes, it is without a full-time professional symphony orchestra.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “I am delighted to welcome Orchestras for All to Sheffield. The news comes just weeks after the announcement that English Touring Opera will also be making the city their home later this year, and I’m confident both will make brilliant additions to our already thriving cultural scene.
“Orchestras for All gives young people incredible opportunities to make music. Here in Sheffield, we are dedicated to creating opportunities for all our young residents and to create a city they can prosper in.
“That is why we are committed to supporting the development of a regional music education hub for young musicians here in the city through the Harmony Works project.”
Through OFA’s close partnership with Sheffield Music Hub and Sheffield Music Academy, it will be supporting the city’s vision to provide inclusive group music-making opportunities for all young people and local schools, while also helping to develop music education that’s robust, sustainable, vibrant and accessible.
National Orchestra for All alum, OFA Ambassador and Sheffield local, Haseeb, said: “Sheffield is a great place for OFA to be based due to its rich musical heritage, being the stomping ground of bands like the Arctic Monkeys and rock bands, Pulp and Def Leppard, among many others.
“There are some amazing venues for performances to take place, such as Sheffield City Hall and Victoria Hall, which I hope OFA will be able to benefit from.”