Two years ago, the rehearsals were well underway for the performance of Romany Wood, a project organised by Martin Leigh, the Director of Music at King Edward’s School. Its aim was to bring music and opportunity to Primary Schools in Birmingham with the chance for them perform at Symphony Hall.
King Edward’s School and King Edward VI High School for Girls have a shared orchestra of 98 players. The charity, The Schools of King Edward VI wanted to further their outreach to schools in Birmingham by inviting them to sing with this orchestra on stage in a world-class concert hall. The charity contributed towards the cost of the event as part of their Opening Doors to ensure that as many schools as possible could become involved with the project.
The project began in June 2015 and rehearsals ran throughout the year before the concert in June 2016. Parents of all the children involved were invited to attend and watch their sons and daughters perform as part of the choir or orchestra onstage. The final performance included 800 participants from 15 diverse schools and the project also raised nearly £1400 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
You can read more about the project on the Schools Together website here.
![](https://kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/romany-wood.png)
![](https://kingedwardvifoundation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/wood.png)