Full of Surprises!

The inventory gives you an idea of the breadth of work we do. Here’s 2024-25 in numbers.

24,531 Participants
15,813 Live audience
56 Concerts
384 Workshops

27 Primary schools
9 Secondary schools
4 Special Educational Needs settings
2 University settings

…in 16 towns, cities and villages across England.

The numbers, of course, only tell a part of the story. The powerful connections between the musicians of the OAE and the participants are what really makes the magic. Our Education Director, Cherry Forbes, writes in her introduction to the Annual Review:

“As we move into our 40th anniversary season it has been a time to reflect on the past but also the future. Who’d have thought back in 1986 that in 2025 the OAE would be resident in a school, performing all over the world to huge acclaim, whilst at the same time working closely with communities around the country to share our love of music. I passionately believe that music is for everyone, everywhere, whether on the concert platform, in a care home, in a school, in a special needs setting or on the street.

Highlights for me in this season have been numerous and range from the quiet interaction with a single student in a special school in Ealing to the beautiful Day at the Pond concerts for Early Years to our exploration of Haydn symphonies for Key Stage 1 pupils to the massed community events in Durham, York and London with The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes and The Magic Flute and the Bird That Would Be Free. Our residency at Acland Burghley continues to bear fruit and we feel embedded in the local community too.

I feel very privileged to be a part of the OAE community and after more than a quarter of a century working with the OAE I love it more than ever! I hope you enjoy reading about our latest season of musical adventures which were full of surprises!”