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Read, Watch & Listen

Celebrating care and community: Presenting our third Care Homes Concert for the first time in Beacon Hall

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Beacon Hall is shown from the back right stalls. The concert hall is filled with people watching an orchestra

Bristol Beacon, Bristol Care Homes and Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra unite to celebrate care through live music

On Tuesday, May 27 2025, around 200 care home residents from across Bristol were welcomed to  Beacon Hall for a special orchestral concert. This event was delivered in partnership with Bristol Care Homes and performed by Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra, as part of our programme of work bringing live music experiences to older people across the city.

For the first time, we were able to accomodate 40 wheelchair users (quadrupling the usual 10 spaces) in this specially-designed accessible concert.

The performance by Sinfonia Smith Square Orchestra – a dynamic ensemble of early-career musicians trained in engaging older audiences – blended traditional repertoire with interactive elements, developed through their work with the City of London Sinfonia. This included a pre-concert ‘meet and greet’ with the performers, and exciting improvisation throughout the concert too.

The concert was also enjoyed by local hospital patients and further care homes across the city after being recorded and broadcast by Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service.

Photography by Jessie Myers (Soul Media)

A dark auditorium shows a group of elders in colourful clothes sat watching the stage
A conductor in a blue shirt has his back to the audience as he waves his baton at the orchestra
An enthusiastic audience claps, seated in a theater with a vibrant atmosphere, showcasing diverse attendees enjoying a performance.
A musician plays the flute on stage for an audience of seated elderly individuals in wheelchairs, enjoying a cultural performance.
A musician plays the trumpet in a modern concert hall, with an audience enjoying a performance by an orchestra on stage.
A close up of audience members clapping enthusiastically

Seventeen care homes from across Bristol participated in the concert today. There was a great sense of engagement and embrace and enjoyment of this wonderful music. Thanks to all for making that possible”

Geoff Crocker, Chair, Bristol Care Homes

A large audience of elderly individuals seated in a wooden auditorium, some using wheelchairs, attentively watching a performance.
A crowded auditorium filled with attendees, showcasing a variety of clothing, as they engage in the performance

Here at Bristol Beacon we really believe in the power of music and this concert fits well into our health and wellbeing programme. Music, particularly for those who might be living with dementia, is a really powerful tool to support with wellbeing, calmness and with memories. Today is just one part of bringing people together and being able to share with their loved ones and carers.”

Adam Kent, Director of Creative Learning & Engagement

A conductor leads an orchestra during a performance, while seated audience members observe from a wheelchair and nearby chairs.

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An orchestra performs on stage, while an audience, including individuals in wheelchairs, watches attentively in a warmly lit hall.

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A speaker in a blue blazer stands at a podium with a microphone, addressing an audience in a warmly lit wooden auditorium.
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A crowded hall filled with attendees, seated in red chairs, focused on a stage performance with various hairstyles and clothing styles visible.
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A group of audience members seated in a theater, some in wheelchairs, focused on the stage ahead. The interior features warm wooden tones.
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A girl in a black top plays violin
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A diverse audience of elderly individuals seated in a warmly lit auditorium, many in wheelchairs, attentively watching a performance.
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A woman with long brown hair and a speckled grey shirt speaks into a microphone
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A lady with short grey hair lies back in her chair enjoying the performance
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A diverse audience seated in Beacon Hall, engaged in a performance, with some attendees using wheelchairs.
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Two audience members in a concert hall; one in a wheelchair, the other wearing a floral shirt, watching an orchestra perform.
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An audience enjoys a live concert in a wooden auditorium, with a focus on a program titled
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An orchestra performs on stage as an audience, including many in wheelchairs, watches attentively in a warm, wooden concert hall.
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A diverse audience sits in a concert hall, some in wheelchairs, attentively watching a performance, surrounded by colorful seats.
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The CEO, a man in a grey suit with black hair addresses the audience from a microphone
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An elderly woman in a blue jacket sits in a crowded auditorium, holding a programme, surrounded by other audience members.
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A conductor leads an orchestra during rehearsal, with musicians playing string instruments in a warm wooden concert hall.
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A lady with brown short hair and glasses plays the flute right in amongst the audience
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Thank you

Thank you to all of our audiences and partners who made this event truly unforgettable!

Thank you also to our project supporters: Bristol Care Homes, The Anchor Society, and Christie & Co. We are also deeply grateful for the ongoing support of our wider work with older people from Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Grateful Society, The Dolphin Society, and St Monica Trust.

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An elderly person and care home employee dancing together with a joyous expression.

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