Southbank Sinfonia’s Family Concerts, shortlisted for a 2019 Fantastic for Families award, provided entertaining and information-rich encounters with orchestral music.

They were adopted by Southbank Centre in 2018, having previously been hosted at Cadogan Hall in West London.

Presented entirely by the musicians of the orchestra, both live and through multimedia, they offered a direct connection between audience and performer. This new format of Family Concert proved hugely popular with audiences and performers, creating meaningful encounters with core classical repertoire while also providing professional development opportunities for musicians.

The concerts were designed to be multi-layered and as fun for parents as to children aged 5 - 11 years old.

Projected videos and animations gave up-close insights to instruments and the ingredients that go into classical music, providing both an alternative learning medium in the concert and digital materials to be shared online outside of the concert hall.

Featuring 11 unique concerts and reaching thousands of families, Southbank Sinfonia adventured through theatrical interpretations of symphonies by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev, walked the tightrope of an unconducted performance, discovered where composers get their ideas from, explored the extraordinary soundworld of Ligeti and much more besides.