Come and Play with the Hallé is a unique series of concerts specially designed to offer thousands of children on the Whole Class Ensemble Teaching programme the opportunity to play and sing with an international symphony orchestra, both at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and in other national centres.
The Come and Play concerts present a variety of music which enables collaboration between the world-class musicians of the Hallé and young instrumentalists at the start of their musical journey. Arrangements and original material by Hallé Education Director, Steve Pickett, for the professional players and young people to share are presented alongside orchestral blockbusters ranging from film scores to famous classics. The children, therefore, experience the power of a symphony orchestra at first hand, as well as being a part of it.
In any one concert as many as 1,200 children play and a further 1,000 sing with the Hallé and annually the orchestra performs with approximately 20,000 young musicians every year. Come and Play concerts are run in collaboration with local music services.
Come and Play with the Hallé is generously supported by PZ Cussons, Siemens, Manchester Airport, CMS LLP, The Zochonis Charitable Trust, The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, Cecil Pilkington Charitable Trust, The Rainbow Dickinson Trust, The Irving Memorial Trust, Schroder Charity Trust and The Harding Trust.
