Bristol Beacon to put smiles on the faces of care home residents as they team up with London Symphony Orchestra

As an increasingly well-known music charity, renowned venue and award-winning music education hub, Bristol Beacon has all sorts of plans for 2022 with a city-wide programme of live music, creative learning opportunities and community engagement.

First opened in 1867 as Colston Hall, the organisation announced its new name in 2020 and is currently mid-way through a major multi-million-pound transformation of its performance spaces, which are due to reopen next year in 2023.

Working with over 35 partner venues, Bristol Beacon is focusing on engaging with 30,000 young people from all backgrounds and abilities across 130 schools in the city every year.

But it’s not only about the young people of our city, either, and 2022 sees the venue working with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) to bring joy to those in care homes across the country.

Having successfully run an event and performance in October last year whereby the Bristol Beacon put on a national broadcast of the LSO at the Bath Forum, the venue is set to repeat the popular format. The first concert was featured all over the country in the press and inspired the many care home residents who had the opportunity to join in.

On Monday 14th March, Bristol Beacon will live stream the forthcoming LSO concert, with Sir Simon Rattle, to care homes all over the UK.

As with the October event, the concert will be broadcast live from Bath Forum via YouTube at 6.45pm on the day and will be available for free for one month so care homes can screen it for their residents at a time that suits them best.

Sponsored by Bristol Care Homes and hosted by organist and journalist Oliver Condy, any care home in the country can tune in for free and are invited to screen the concert for staff and residents.

Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bristol Beacon, tells us how important it is to be able to reach people beyond the four walls of a concert hall. She said: “After the really wonderful and emotional response we had to our broadcast in October, we once again look forward to sharing the sheer joy of an LSO concert with care home residents and staff nationwide.

“This concert continues to build on our strong artistic relationship with the LSO in anticipation of the reopening of our venue next year, and also with Bristol Care Homes in whom we’ve found a partner committed to helping us reach music-lovers beyond the walls of the concert hall.”

For Bristol Beacon, it’s all about ensuring that the magic of performance and music is accessible to as many as possible, which is why this is an event that is open to people across the country. With care homes having been affected so heavily by the pandemic, it’s a brilliant place to start and Geoff Crocker, Chair of Bristol Care Homes, agrees.

“The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, particularly care home residents and staff,” he says. “But the use of technology to share such magical performances in this innovative way is a real legacy that we will continue to support.”

Keep your eyes peeled for the joy being shared, as care homes are can share photos of residents and staff watching the concert together on social media using the hashtag #ThankYouCareHomes and tagging @Bristol_Beacon and @londonsymphony