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Williamsons Solicitors has hit a high note with local GCSE students after sponsoring the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Person’s Ticket Scheme.

The East Yorkshire law firm’s generosity funded 12 Sirius Academy pupils to attend a recent concert at Hull City Hall for free so that they could experience a live symphony orchestra.

It is not the first time that Williamsons has supported the long-running initiative which has provided hundreds of free tickets to Hull secondary schools, in particular to help young people studying GSCE Music.

The firm also supports the Hull Philharmonic by providing a home for its extensive music library.

Year 10 pupil Kaitlyn Marsham-Cook said that watching an orchestra live was better than watching it on TV or listening to a recording: “You can actually see all of the technique and people physically playing. This helps me when thinking about my own violin playing,” she said.

Fellow student Isaac Gwinnell said: “It shows how grand the music truly is. It required such attention to detail and focus and made the entire hall feel alive.” 

Their teacher and coordinator of music at Sirius Academy, Sarah-Jane Waterhouse, is also a longstanding violinist with the Hull Philharmonic. She said: “It is invaluable for the students to see live music; it really helps bring their studies to life. We are very thankful to Williamsons Solicitors and to the Hull Philharmonic committee for making it happen.”

With the students having balcony tickets, they were able to benefit from some of the best seats in the house at the concert which featured Beverley-born percussionist Laura Bradford in a visually spectacular performance of Séjourné’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by guest artist Simon Chalk in a programme that also included Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2 and Kabalevsky’s Overture to Colas Breugnon.

Jane Cousins, a director at Williamsons Solicitors, said that she was pleased to be able to help. “We have a policy of supporting local talent into long and fulfilling careers at the firm, so this initiative is fitting in that it truly reflects our values of providing opportunities for all. We are very glad that the students enjoyed and benefited from the experience.”

The Hull Philharmonic’s next concert is on May 13 at Hull City Hall. They will play Dvorak’s The Noonday Witch, Liadov’s The Enchanted Lake, Franck’s Les Djinns, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. The guest conductor is James Ham who is currently conductor of the London Orchestra Project, a chamber orchestra featuring some of the UK’s finest orchestral players, which he co-founded.

Williamsons Solicitors offers an extensive range of legal services including commercial property, clinical negligence, personal injury, defence advocacy, family and childcare, residential property conveyancing, and wills and probate. Its head office is in Hull, with branches in Driffield and Bridlington. The firm employs more than 120 staff.

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