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We believe music is for everyone.
Unfortunately, the music industry doesn’t always make that the case. In the UK currently:
• Only 16% of people working in the UK creative industries come from working-class backgrounds, compared with almost a third of the overall workforce. (Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre)
• 94% of orchestral musicians in the UK are white, highlighting how underrepresented Black and minority ethnic musicians remain in the classical music sector that underpins opera and ballet. (Black Lives in Music – Being Black in the UK Music Industry)
• Arts Council England's investment in opera, orchestras and other classical organisations represents around 80% of all investment in music in its 2023–26 Investment Programme.
We exist to play our role in trying to change this.
Through performances, collaborations, workshops and community programs we strive to create a music industry where everybody feels like they belong.
Our History
Untold Stories began ‘unofficially’ with our flagship project, The Untold Orchestra. A few friends got together and wanted to create opportunities for up and coming artists in all different genres of music to have their own songs performed by an orchestra. In our first two years we worked with over 30 artists to create videos that showed how orchestras can feature in different genres and for artists at different stages in their career. Then, we walked into NIAMOS Arts Centre, Hulme, and everything changed - for the better! We were told about the incredibly rich history of the building, particularly the history of the NIA Centre, one of Europe’s first black led arts centres, housing performances from iconic musicians such as Gil Scott Heron, Hugh Masekela and Nina Simone.
On April 21st 2019, 28 years to the day that Nina Simone performed on the same stage we performed ‘Nina at the NIA’, a show that celebrated and remembered the legendary performance that is etched into Hulme’s musical legacy. This first performance opened up new opportunities for us, forcing us to think more deeply about what it means for an orchestra to be embedded in its local community. During COVID-19 when everything paused, we were given the time to think about what this looks like and how we could make it possible.
Since the pandemic ended, we have been on a beautiful journey exploring new ways that we could work with our local communities of Hulme, Moss Side and people across Greater Manchester to curate exciting performances, recording projects,and workshops for people to develop their own musical skills.
In 2022, we officially became a charity - further demonstrating our focus on creating social impact through music. It’s not always been an easy journey as we’ve been met with the many challenges faced by anyone trying to start their own not for profit, socially focused music organisation, but it’s been worth every second of stress!
In the 5 years since 2021, we have:
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Performed over 2000 shows to audiences across Greater Manchester of 800,000+ people
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Established a community choir, the NIA Choir with over 150 registered members
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Worked with a network of over 300 freelance musicians and creatives
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Collaborated with over 50 artists and partner organisations in creating new, community centered shows and workshops
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Built a board of Trustees committed to building an orchestral sector that better responds to the needs of more people
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Established a regular series of performances in care homes providing musical experiences for elders in our community
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Provided free tickets for 1500+ residents in Hulme/Moss Side
The Future
Looking ahead at the next 5 years our vision hasn’t changed. We’re still just as passionate about creating memorable musical experiences for as many people as possible, changing perceptions of what an orchestra is and can be, and breaking down barriers that stop people from experiencing all the good that comes from live music.
Over these 5 years our efforts will be trying to:
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Establish a Youth Orchestra, for 16-25 year olds, aimed at supporting young musicians to get jobs in the music industry
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Curating more collaborative projects with artists across genres and art forms
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Providing over 3000 free and subsidised tickets to residents in Hulme and Moss Side
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Developing more opportunities to perform in care settings for elders in our communities
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Working with more partners across Greater Manchester to create new musical opportunities
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Building our board, staff and freelance network to be increasingly more representative of the communities we work with
There’s not really a ‘how to guide’ on building your own, community centered, collaborative and relevant orchestra, which is why we always need your help. Whether it’s supporting fundraising, sharing ideas for projects or connecting us to anyone and everyone who could help - we need you.