Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra is one of four shortlistees for the 2025 RPS Inspiration Award. We are welcoming public votes to choose the winner – voting is open until 11am on Monday 3 February 2025. The winner will be announced at the RPS Awards on Thursday 6 March at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra (WSO) sets a leading example of how a non-professional orchestra can perform adventurous and wide-ranging repertoire to a high standard, while playing an invaluable role in its local community, working closely with the city’s Music Education Hub to support and inspire young people.
Having recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, WSO’s concerts in the last year have included music by Brahms, Doreen Carwithen, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Vaughan Williams among others, conducted by music director Peter Morris. Every concert this season involved young people playing in the orchestra, as well as enabling students to attend concerts for free, and offering reduced-price tickets to families of young people participating in the Elevate programme run by Wolverhampton Music Service. Notably, in addition to its concert programme, WSO held two performances in Wolverhampton Civic Hall alongside the Youth Orchestra for 2,500 school children, bringing orchestral music to all Year 7 pupils in the city. WSO also invited a student conductor from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to rehearse and perform Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, and ran a free play day of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 to encourage wider participation, attended by around 80 additional local players. WSO is central to the musical and cultural life of Wolverhampton, bringing classical music to a wide range of people, and continuing to grow as it attracts more non-professional players and provides vital opportunities to young people.
‘Having played in WSO myself as a teenager, I’m delighted to see the orchestra continuing to welcome and encourage our local young musicians. It’s joyful to look around and see our younger players taking on whatever new challenge, refreshingly fearless. We always hope to inspire our audiences in our regular concert series or our exciting new schools’ concerts, but the real inspiration comes from a strong community, friendship, the caring and nurturing to bring our music to life, and for every musician, young and older, to know they play their part in this.’
Sarah, cello
‘I joined WSO in 2023. My clarinet had languished in its case for about eight years. Post-Covid brought urgency and stress at work. I really needed a stress outlet. I wanted to connect with people, to scratch my musical interests. WSO changed my life. I found an amazing bunch of like-minded, committed musicians. They play challenging repertoire in a nurturing way. I’ve regained playing confidence and can make rehearsals after my children’s bedtime. I now say my weekends begin on Thursdays! It has an essential place in my being – I am so grateful it exists.’
Ciaran, clarinet
The RPS Inspiration Award is generously supported by Presto Music.
