The Bonus Arena in Hull.
The Bonus Arena in Hull.

Song for Hull is back – and it’s bigger than ever

Children from the city will perform Song for Hull in front of a live audience at the Bonus Arena tomorrow.

The project – launched during Hull’s year as UK City of Culture in 2017 – has been allowed to continue thanks to funding from Newground Together, NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

It was debuted as part of Hull 2017’s Creative Communities Programme.

The project, managed by Hull Music Service, has seen children from 12 Hull primary schools and one high school work with professionals to write and record the song ahead of the performance.

Based on poems from the children around the theme When I Grow Up – Building Aspiration, the song will be written by professional writer Nigel Taylor from Beats Bus, a social enterprise designed to encourage the city’s next generation to speak out about their hopes and aspirations through music.

Song for Hull founder Martin Gore said: “Song for Hull creates a fantastic concert experience for the children and raises their horizons as regards their future careers.”

As well as giving young people the opportunity to perform in a large-scale, high-quality music production, working with professional musicians in a top venue, it is hoped the project could provide a mental health boost.

James Dickinson, head of Hull Music Service, said “In our role as lead partner for Hull Music Hub, we are working with an increasingly broad range of partners and Song for Hull is an excellent example of this.

“We are delighted to be managing this project and are looking forward to its culmination at the Bonus Arena. This is a project that certainly lives up to our commitment to putting music at the heart of Hull.”

Tickets cost £5. Book here.

The tidal barrier in Hull