Our 2026 Collaboration Concert

We proudly celebrated our third inter-city collaboration concert at the historic St George’s Hall in Bradford on 13 July, a landmark occasion that brought together over 430 talented students from 18 of our academies across Bradford, Leeds, Greater Manchester, and Liverpool.

This extraordinary event was far more than just a concert, it was a powerful celebration of music, community, and collaboration. Over the course of the evening, audiences were treated to an inspiring range of performances from intimate solos and small ensembles to large-scale choral collaborations, each one showcasing the remarkable talent, creativity, and hard work of our students.

“Our third collaboration concert was a wonderful celebration of what makes our trust so special. Seeing 430 students from 18 of our schools and college come together from across our four cities and regions was truly inspiring.

I am incredibly proud to lead a trust where our schools and college work so closely together to create opportunities like this. The talent, discipline and collective effort on display reflected our drivers perfectly and showed what our young people can achieve when they work hard and work together. Thank you to every student, colleague and volunteer who made this unforgettable evening possible.” – Luke Sparkes, School and College Trust Leader. Luke Sparkes, School and College Trust Leader.

At its heart, this event was about more than performance. It was about giving our young people the opportunity to connect through music, to build confidence, forge friendships, and experience the joy of performing alongside their peers from other academies across our trust who share their passion.

"We are incredibly proud of all of the brilliantly talented students who performed at our third collaboration concert," said Tamsin Rafnsson, Director of Music, Dixons Academies Trust.

“We’re so thankful to our wonderful members of Team Dixons who have spent hours arranging and rehearsing music with our groups of students, and for bringing everyone together to make this happen. It really was a fantastic display of talent.”

Staff and students worked incredibly hard to prepare their performances and put a lot of work and effort into rehearsing. Our collaboration concert was the result of a planning process that took almost 12 months, and was a chance to be united by music and bring students together with other like-minded musicians. 

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making this evening so special, from our inspiring music leads and dedicated teachers to the families, supporters, and of course, our students themselves. Together, we proved once again how music can unite, inspire, and uplift.