Southampton and Isle of Wight Music’s Songs of Place project culminated in a spectacular celebration on Sunday 11 October at GG’s, bringing together more than 100 young musicians for a concert inspired by the sounds, stories and landscapes of the Isle of Wight.
Songs of Place was delivered as a strand of CAN YOU HEAR US?, a major cultural programme led by Creative Island, the Isle of Wight’s Cultural Development Agency, taking place across the island in autumn 2026. Bringing together artists, schools, community groups and cultural organisations, CAN YOU HEAR US? celebrates island-wide creativity and amplifies the voices, stories and experiences of the people who live here.
Throughout a year of island-wide activity, young musicians explored who they are, where they live and what matters to them through songwriting. The project gave children and young people the opportunity to tell their own stories through music, drawing inspiration from the places they know, the island’s rich history and what it means to grow up on the Isle of Wight.
Composer James Redwood was commissioned to work with six schools and two community music ensembles, gathering and developing the young musicians’ ideas into an ambitious musical finale. Weaving together their lyrics, musical motifs and creative ideas, he created Island Song, alongside a celebratory fanfare that premiered at the concert.
The event brought together more than 100 performers, aged between six and 16, from Isle of Wight Symphony Youth Orchestra (IWSYO), Medina Youth Marching Band, Carisbrooke and Medina College, Gatten & Lake Primary School and Carisbrooke Primary School. Many of the musicians had never performed together before. Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub staff worked intensively with the groups in the lead-up to the event, preparing them to bring this ambitious musical collaboration to life in a single afternoon’s rehearsal.
The concert opened with the world premiere of James Redwood’s fanfare, developed in collaboration with the young musicians of IWSYO and featuring the incredible corps of drums from Medina Youth Marching Band.
The programme celebrated the original songs created throughout the project, including music inspired by the Isle of Wight’s myths and legends. Medina College’s nine-piece rock band performed their original track Broken Bridge, using the trials and tribulations of the island’s floating bridge as a metaphor for hopelessness. Carisbrooke Primary School performed We’re From the Isle of Wight, written with workshop leader Maria Woodford.
The concert also featured songs from the Myths and Legends songbook, bringing to life stories including Gallus, the cockerel-headed man associated with Brading Roman Villa, and Isabella de Fortibus, one of Carisbrooke Castle’s most famous historical residents. Audiences also enjoyed You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet by local musical theatre composer David Redston.
Two bands from Carisbrooke College took to the stage with energetic covers of songs that meant something to them, getting the audience involved, while IWSYO performed pieces they had been learning during the term. These were among the orchestra’s first official performances since the group formed last year.
A massed sea shanty singalong, led by James Redwood, celebrated the island’s maritime heritage and brought performers and an audience of more than 250 together in a rousing moment that really raised the roof.
The concert reached its emotional climax with the world premiere of Island Song. Captured live by hub partners Widget Production using 48 microphones, the recording required one of the most complex sound and technical setups the team has undertaken.
As the haunting lyrics and musical ideas created by the young islanders rang out across the venue, the performance was met with rapturous applause, leaving smiles on the faces of performers and audience members alike.
Composer James Redwood said:
“It’s just an unbelievable thrill to be bringing together people, some of whom are extremely experienced playing in ensembles, playing in groups, playing in orchestras, some of whom are playing in a massed ensemble for the first time. There’s something really special about the way that music creates a space for us all to be completely authentically ourselves but also connected to other people in real time while you’re making music together, and that’s just a huge privilege.”
Nia Collins, Isle of Wight Music Hub Lead, said:
“This event was a really special celebration of the Isle of Wight’s young musicians, finding their voices and creating music inspired by the places they know, the stories they’ve discovered and what it means to grow up here.
To hear the children’s incredible lyrics and musical ideas come together on such an epic scale has completely blown me away. It was a truly unforgettable experience, and I hope it’s one that all the young musicians involved will treasure and remember for many years to come.”
The concert was recorded live, and once the recordings have been mixed and mastered, the music will be released on Spotify as part of a Songs of Place album. The album will bring together the concert recordings and original songs created throughout the project, preserving the young musicians’ work for audiences to enjoy for years to come.
Southampton and Isle of Wight Music will continue to use the songs and resources developed through Songs of Place to support singing, songwriting and music-making in schools and other settings across the island, ensuring the project’s legacy continues well beyond the concert itself.
