THOUSANDS of children have been enjoying the chance to sing along with an orchestra.

The concert hall at Poole’s Lighthouse was packed for four shows provided free by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to schools, who came ready to participate.

This year’s shows were titled the Celebration 1-2-5 Schools Concerts, marking 125 years since the orchestra was founded as Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra.

Tuesday’s concerts saw 2,641 children from 35 local schools attending, thanks to support from sponsor WH Ireland Wealth Management.

A similar number attended the following day, with a livestream to schools who could not attend. The livestream was made possible thanks to support from the Talbot Village Trust and two private donors.

The concerts saw children enjoying music including Stravinsky’s Festival Overture, Boulanger’s On a Spring Morning, Shostakovich’s Greetings Prelude and Leonard Bernstein’s Candide and West Side Story.

Errollyn Wallen’s Mighty River, was played after a video introduction from the composer herself.

Children had already practised “body percussion” and singing to for some of the pieces, including Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and two songs by host James Redwood.

Pupils from year three at Bournemouth’s Jewel Academy wrote the words for the chorus to one the new pieces, Musical Fireworks.

The BSO, which was conducted by Victor Aviat, is taking the schools concerts to venues across the south west as part of its outreach work with young people. The children were all in school years three to six.

Richard Killingbeck, chief executive of WH Ireland, told a lunch reception that it was the firm’s second year as a sponsor of the schools event.

“We’re a younger partner of the orchestra but I think after this morning we are very, very glad to have that role,” he said.

“I think I need to spend more time out of London because it was a great event and I was enthused by the orchestra and by Mr Redwood’s presentation.

“Events like today are very important to us because we need to reinforce our local presence and and such events raise our company profile.

“We’re all about building long-term relationships not only with organisations like the BSO but also with you as clients or potential introducers to clients,” he added.

The firm has a regional office in Ravine Road, Poole, and Mr Killingbeck said sponsorship of the BSO chimed with its declared commitment to “the art of wealth management”.

Dougie Scarfe, chief executive of the BSO, said the support of the school concert sponsors helped expose many children to orchestral music for the first time.

“This is not only their first time seeing a symphony orchestra but the first time in a cultural building for most of them,” he said.

But he said classical music was appealing to young people, with half a million under-25s listening to Classic FM every week.

“If you want to wind me up, tell me that young people aren’t interested in music,” he added.

Schools at the morning concert on Tuesday were: St. Mark’s CE Primary, Blandford St Mary Primary, St Katharine’s CE Primary, Longfleet Primary, St Martin’s, Wyke Regis Junior, Victoria Education Centre, Sunninghill Prep, St Ives Primary, Kinson Primary, St Luke’s CE Primary, St Osmond’s, St Walburga’s Primary, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, Parley First, St Mary’s First West Moors, Lulworth and Winfrith, Winterbourne Valley First.

Schools attending in the afternoon were: Oakdale Junior, St. Catherine’s Primary, Bovington Primary, Bearwood Primary and Nursery, Yarrells Preparatory, Port Regis, Clayesmore Preparatory, Victoria Education Centre, Longfleet Primary, Spetisbury Primary, Knighton House, Christ The King Primary, Canford Heath Junior, St Nicholas and St Lawrence Primary, Wimborne St Giles First School and Nursery, Portesham Primary, Ringwood Waldorf, St Walburga’s.