Welcome to the website of the Blue Light Symphony Orchestra, the UK's only orchestra for all Emergency Services personnel. Our players are drawn from a wealth of talent hidden inside the UK's Police Forces, Fire Brigades and Ambulance Services, the military and other emergency services such as Mountain Rescue, Cave Rescue and the RNLI. We are a registered charity whose aims are to promote and support music-making in the emergency services to aid mental well-being and to promote the use of music therapy to treat severe mental health problems such as PTSD, chronic stress and anxiety.
Upcoming Events
Concert 2024
Date: Friday 11th October
Time: 1930
Venue: Smith Square Hall (formerly St John's Smith Square), London SW1P 3HA
Program: Beethoven Egmont Overture, Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20, Tchaikovsky Symphony Number 5
Piano Soloist: Fromer Police Officer and Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate Schay Wickham
Tickets will go on sale from the St John's Smith Square box office at the end of June from just £15 with a 20% Blue Light Card discount available
Get a sneek preview of Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony with this clip of the slow movement from our workshop last year.
National Ambulance Memorial Service - 19th September 2024
Since its creation, the National Ambulance Memorial Service has gone from strength to strength, and last year 200 people from all over the UK, and even further afield, attended to honour their colleagues and loved ones who have served in an ambulance service. Included in the list of attendees were senior representatives of ambulance services, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), the Independent Ambulance Association (IAA) and the College of Paramedics.
The 2024 memorial service is once again being held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire on the 19th September 2024. The event is open to anyone who would like to attend and pay tribute. To learn more about this years’ service and book your free place, visit www.theasc.org.uk/NAMS
The Emergency Services Show - 19th and 20th September 2024
Come and see us on our stand at the Emergency Services Show at the NEC, Birmingham!
If you would like to play at our events, please fill out the Join us! form or email workshops@bluelightsymphony.org. We welcome contact from players who are not in the emergency services because we often have gaps.
If you wish to support us financially, please visit our GoFundMe page by clicking here
If you would like to volunteer to help us grow, we would love to hear from you. Please use the form on the Join Us page. We are currently looking for:
- Graphic designer
- Web developer
- Social media officer
- Librarian
About the Orchestra
We are a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1184720. Our Orchestra provides opportunities for musicians from across the emergency services to come together and play music but we are also expanding our work in the following two areas:
- Encourage more local music-making in the emergency services by providing start-up grants and advice to anyone wishing to start a local choir or instrumental group where the majority of participants are emergency services personnel.
- Work with leading Music Therapy providers to make MT available to emergency services personnel to treat PTSD, anxiety and stress.
Visit the charity page for more information and to donate.
The main orchestra meets for a day-long workshop once a term. Emergency workers often find that shift work prevents them from being able to commit to the weekly rehearsals of a traditional orchestra which means that they have stopped playing music regularly since starting their careers. This means they are unable to enjoy the scientifically proven mental health benefits of group music making. The BLSO removes this barrier by providing workshops which require no regular commitment and our success can be measured by the fact we have over 100 emergency services musicians on our mailing list. We are also working with the UK's leading Music Therapists to research and develop a Music Therapy treatment program for emergency workers suffering from stress and anxiety-related disorders. Find out more about Music Therapy and what we are doing on the Charity page.
Please go to the Join us! page if you would like to get involved.