The Association of British Orchestras (ABO) has published A Platform for Success: A Five Year Vision for Orchestras. The ABO’s vision sets out the following aspirations:

• Maintain our programme of great performances at home and abroad, challenging audiences with a wide repertoire and diverse approach.
• Place orchestras within the national celebrations towards the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
• Nurture home grown talent and attract the world’s best composers, performers and conductors to the UK. All these artists have at their disposal a hugely talented and highly skilled pool of musicians, with a rich orchestral heritage.
• Ensure every orchestra in the ABO commits to an environmental ‘touring charter’ by 2015.

The vision also addresses education, stating that “we want to ensure every child is given the opportunity to be inspired by the very best musicians and develop their musical skill by working with professional orchestral players.” Building on existing relationships, ABO hopes that orchestras will forge partnerships with specialist schools, conservatoires and performance venues to create centres of excellence.

Participation is also a key issue, and ABO promises to work with local authorities, promoters, venues and businesses to deliver performances and workshops to a range of people, and to experiment with technological and digital innovation to introduce new audiences to orchestral music. The vision ends with a call to government to:

• “Value orchestras”, recognising their economic impact, return on public investment, and role in culture and trade abroad.
• Create a framework where local authorities can champion music for its own sake, as well as for the innovation and value orchestras add within schools and the wider community.
• “Fund wisely”, ensuring consistent and reliable financial support for the arts , sustaining public investment in local authorities and improving the tax system to enhance private giving from corporations and individuals.
• “Legislate supportively”, taking the necessary steps to deal with illegal file-sharing through passing and implementing the Digital Economy Bill.
• Support music education, guaranteeing that music education continues to be delivered in schools as part of the formal curriculum, including providing the opportunity for children to learn a musical instrument.

The ABO vision for orchestras can be read in full here.

The NCA arts manifesto, and information surrounding it, can be read here.