Jackdaws, based near Frome, retains the award which is sponsored by Classic FM, having won the same prize in 2016 for their innovative project, OperaPLUS.
The ‘The Year of…’ project introduces children to a different chamber or orchestral instrument each year by taking musicians of international standing into 14 Somerset schools to perform and give whole class workshops to the children, culminating in the Grand Finale concert. In five years, the ‘The Year of…’ project has reached over 15,000 school children.
Saffron van Zwanenberg, Jackdaws’ artistic director said, “Inspiration is usually the spark that lights the fire and in this case, if we want more children to play instruments and to continue to do so to a good level of proficiency and beyond, then access to the best in the world is the way forward.
“They meet and see amazing musicians doing remarkable things with instruments and playing wonderful repertoire. If we want orchestras in the future and audiences for chamber music and orchestral works, this first step is vital and it has been our privilege to work with such brilliant artists, who are not only masters in their fields but also as passionate about this as we are.
“This award is wonderful recognition of their work and the work we do and will continue to do through active and innovative opportunities.
“We want to thank everybody who voted for us. As a small organisation we work extremely hard with limited resources to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver projects like this. This award means a huge amount to us – Thank you.”
The project’s Grand Finale Concert, in which over 100 pupils drawn from every participating school will play alongside the professional musicians, takes place this month at Frome’s Cheese & Grain on Wednesday 22th March.
For more information go to www.jackdaws.org.uk
