A Symphony for Yorkshire

Musicians from all around Yorkshire have joined together to create an ambitious music project which has taken five months to produce along with a lot of hard work and dedication.
Over 200 talented artists, including a brass band, drummers, buskers and a harpist, have clubbed together to record a 15-minute piece of music designed to embody the spirit of Yorkshire.

The BBC held a number of open auditions in major cities within the region before selecting which musicians would be starring in the work.
“Some just have a few notes to play others have more but each and every one has a critical part to play,” Helen Thomas, head of BBC Yorkshire, explains.
The music was written by composer and director Benjamin Till who has worked on a number of other projects including The Busker Symphony, A1 the Road Musical, Coventry Market the Musical and Watford Gap the Musical.
“This has been the most difficult, complicated, ambitious project that I have ever done – incredibly hard work but hugely rewarding,” said Mr Till.
“It’s been an enormous thrill and a great honour to be able to write a piece of music which brings so many Yorkshire-based musicians from so many different musical traditions together and I really hope I’ve done the county proud.”
In addition to writing and recording the score, the symphony was also filmed across various locations in the county, with a film detailing how it was made due to be broadcast on BBC Four in the autumn.
The finished product will be broadcast for the first time this coming Sunday (August 1st) in celebration of Yorkshire Day on BBC Radio York, Sheffield, Leeds and Humberside.