Play with Paraorchestra

Five young musicians aged between 12 and 17 years old pose for a group photo alongside staff member professional musicians from Paraorchestra

Disabled musicians face barriers from the very beginning of their careers

That’s why Play with Paraorchestra exists – to instil confidence and forge links with the next generation of talented young music creators.

Play with Paraorchestra invites a small group of young musicians who identify as disabled, have special educational needs, or have access requirements to explore a range of musical styles, with a blend of acoustic and electronic sound worlds. Working alongside professional Paraorchestra musicians, young musicians experience what it’s like to be in a Paraorchestra rehearsal. It offers the same ambitious, collaborative, person-centred way of working as on all Paraorchestra shows, for young musicians considering music as a future career. 

This creatively-ambitious project offers insight into our professional working practices in the same collaborative, person-centred environment as all of our live work with an eye to demonstrating the possibilities for young disabled musicians beginning their careers in music.

We launched Play with Paraorchestra back in January 2025. Since then, we've hosted three iterations of the project, working with talented young music-makers in age groups ranging from 12-17 and 18-25.

Sign up to our mailing list to hear when we are next recruiting young musicians to take part in this exciting project.