ViVA Chamber Orchestra Ltd

Sinfonia Viva (conductor: André de Ridder) perform Anna Meredith's Octet. Recorded at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, July 2011. Meredith's Octet was commissioned by Sinfonia Viva as part of their Orchestral Shorts series and was premiered at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on 2nd November 2010. The piece is a response to Stravinsky's Octet and is scored for the same combination of instruments. Anna Meredith is the Royal Philharmonic Society and PRS for Music Foundation Composer in the House with Sinfonia Viva. This recording is Copyright Sinfonia Viva.

What happens at night time in Derby? Young people from Lawn and Walter Evans Primary Schools and Woodlands Community School created their vision and Eleanor Meredith helped them to realise it by filming their models around Derby at night. Music on this clip is by Anna Meredith, featuring Sinfonia Viva - and by the performance on Wednesday 9 March the young participants from the three participating schools and Derby College will have created new music to perform with ViVA. For more information visit: http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/concert-2011-03-09-derby.shtml Anna Meredith is Sinfonia Viva's Composer in the House which is a Royal Philharmonic Society and PRS for Music Foundation initiative.

During November and December 2010 Sinfonia Viva worked with Lincoln Drill Hall, the Usher Gallery, c1media and 75 young people from Lincoln on the Time Stands Still project. As part of the project c1media worked with some young people who became journalists for the project and captured elements from the process leading up to the final performance and created this film.

Sinfonia Viva's Leader Benedict Holland talks about Handel, Bach, Pachelbel and Mozart in a pre-concert chat before a performance at The Palace, Ibstock in October 2010.

Sinfonia Viva's Composer in the House Anna Meredith and Principal Conductor André de Ridder rehease Anna's new piece 'Octet' before its premiere at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on 2nd November 2010. Composer in the House is a Royal Philharmonic Society and PRS for Music Foundation initiative. Read more about Anna Meredith's involvement with Sinfonia Viva at our website - http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/cith-mainpage.shtml

Sinfonia Viva in rehearsal with percussionist Colin Currie in the run up to concerts at Nottingham's Lakeside Arts and Lincoln Drill Hall in October 2010. The piece in this excerpt is Schwertsik's "Now You Hear Me, Now You Don't".

On Saturday 11th September 2010, people living in and around Derby had the opportunity to watch the entire Last Night of the BBC Proms screened live in an outdoor venue in the city along, for the first time, with live music sessions on stage. The Big Screen outside the Assembly Rooms was used to relay the event direct from London's Albert Hall. The Proms screening from 7.30pm formed part of a programme of live musical entertainment in the Market Place starting at 4.00pm where performances on stage before the Proms and during its interval set out to entertain and involve the crowds of 'prommers'. Viva's unique jazz combo 'Triple Bop' - David Ayre (Double Bass), Matt Dunn (Clarinet) and Tim Gunnell (Vibraphone) - have been wowing audiences with their vibrant and exciting performances. They were joined on the evening by three of their colleagues, Anthony Thompson (Trumpet), Jack Ross (Guitar) and Dom Sales (Drum Kit) for a sextet spectacular in which they performed a variety of original arrangements and blistering improvisations on a selection of great tunes, paying homage to the BBC's 'Last Night' program. Dave, Tim, Matt, Dom, Jack and Ant have all played in many Last Night of the Proms orchestral concerts, whether with the BBC or other orchestras across the country, so this was groovy twist on their usual involvement in the Big Event! This featured piece - 'Derby Market Place' composed by Tim Gunnell - was a world premiere.

The Assembly Rooms in Derby was alive with the music of Romeo & Juliet on Wednesday 4 March 2009 as around 80 young people from across Derby joined with Sinfonia Viva, André de Ridder, James Redwood and 1623 theatre company to perform their own version of the classic story. Young people and their teachers from Becket Primary School, Bemrose Community School, Saint Benedict Catholic School & Performing Arts College and Derby College worked closely with music workshop leader and composer James Redwood and a team of musicians from Sinfonia Viva throughout February 2009 to create original music inspired by both Shakespeare's and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. To read more about the project visit our website at http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2009-03-04-derby.shtml

Each Spring Sinfonia Viva delivers a creative music project working with communities across Derby culminating in a collaborative performance at the Assembly Rooms, Derby. Previous years have included collaborations with a range of other artists including film producers and in 2007 Indian Classical musicians for Seasons. 2008 saw a collaboration of music and dance in the Creation project, which took place from January to March and involved 108 participants from Gayton Community Junior School, Derby Moor Community Sports College, Derby College, the University of Derby and Chaos Dance Company working with music workshop leader James Redwood, dance workshop leader Tom Dale and a team of Sinfonia Viva musicians. To read more about the project visit our website at http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2008-03-05-derby.shtml

Each Spring Sinfonia Viva delivers a creative music project working with communities across Derby culminating in a collaborative performance at the Assembly Rooms, Derby. Previous years have included collaborations with a range of other artists including film producers and in 2007 Indian Classical musicians for Seasons. 2008 saw a collaboration of music and dance in the Creation project, which took place from January to March and involved 108 participants from Gayton Community Junior School, Derby Moor Community Sports College, Derby College, the University of Derby and Chaos Dance Company working with music workshop leader James Redwood, dance workshop leader Tom Dale and a team of Sinfonia Viva musicians. To read more about the project visit our website at http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2008-03-05-derby.shtml

Life in the Forest involved around 140 young musicians from across North West Leicestershire and sinfonia ViVA and was designed in partnership between Sinfonia Viva, North West Leicestershire District Council and Orchestras Live. Young people and their teachers from Ibstock Junior School, Ivanhoe College, St Clare's Catholic Primary School and Whitwick St John the Baptist Primary School worked closely with music workshop leader and composer Jack Ross and a team of musicians from Sinfonia Viva during January 2009 to create original music inspired by the theme of Life in the Forest.

The Assembly Rooms in Derby was alive with the music of Romeo & Juliet on Wednesday 4 March 2009 as around 80 young people from across Derby joined with Sinfonia Viva, André de Ridder, James Redwood and 1623 theatre company to perform their own version of the classic story. Young people and their teachers from Becket Primary School, Bemrose Community School, Saint Benedict Catholic School & Performing Arts College and Derby College worked closely with music workshop leader and composer James Redwood and a team of musicians from Sinfonia Viva throughout February 2009 to create original music inspired by both Shakespeare's and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. To read more about the project visit our website at http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2009-03-04-derby.shtml

Music and dance students from Newbold Community School joined forces with Sinfonia Viva for a performance which included the premiere of a new music, dance and film piece Transitions created by the students during a project which took place at the school in March 2007. Following the successful launch of the Transitions project in November this project was part of a series of creative arts workshops all themed around Transitions taking place over the year. Transitions was chosen as a theme to celebrate the fantastic new facilities of the newly built Newbold Community School. To find out more about the project, visit our website - http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2007-03-20-chesterfield.shtml

The Pomegranate Theatre celebrated its 60th anniversary in March 2009 by holding a New Playwriting Festival. As part of the festival several playwrights wrote short new works which were then performed as part of an evening of music and theatre on March 16 2009. The Tarradiddle project involved young actors from the Pomegranate Youth Theatre and young musicians from Newbold Community School who worked closely with workshop leader Tim Steiner, Director Carole Copeland, a team of Sinfonia Viva musicians and Pomegranate Theatre actors to create original 'music-and-words' pieces. To read more about the project, visit our website - http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2009-03-16-chesterfield.shtml

Over 250 participants from seven schools in Daventry came together on 25 May 2010 for a performance at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton with Sinfonia Viva and soloist Kim-Marie Woodhouse (Mezzo Soprano) conducted by Stuart Stratford. This concert was part of the Connected to Music project which was delivered in partnership with Orchestras Live, Northamptonshire County Council, Royal & Derngate, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Sinfonia Viva. Visit http://www.vivaorch.co.uk/edproj-2010-05-25-northampton.shtml to read more about the project.