Unwanted musical instruments present a recycling challenge. Musical instruments are typically made of high value materials such as rare woods and metals, that are complicated to manufacture and contain intricate parts made from a range of materials. They are difficult to dispose of with no easy way of recycling them, but with regular maintenance and repair, these instruments can last for decades. Olympias is taking action because due to the cost of repair and the option of cheaper replacements, many instruments are being thrown away instead of being repaired.
In 2025, Olympias will provide musical instruments for 180 children, 50% of which have been donated by local community members. Partnering with specialist instrument makers to repair these instruments ensures that they are used and enjoyed for years to come by children who would otherwise not have access or be able to afford them, rather than contributing to growing landfill sites and wasting finite natural resources.
Jason, who is learning the cello, said: “I love how the wood looks, and the deep bellows it makes.” His 110 year-old cello has a large crack on the front which keeps opening up and is one of the high priority items for repair.
Olympias is accepting instrument donations and carrying out repairs on them throughout 2025. Donors have included people like the security guard at Longsight Library, where Olympias delivers music lessons, who donated his old violin, and readers of The Mill newspaper. Donations of violins, violas, cellos, flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, french horns, euphoniums and electric keyboards can be dropped off at Olympias or picked up from locations around Manchester.
The Manchester Museum is providing its classroom for the instrument repairing weekend on 22 and 23 March. The workshop will repair Olympias’ existing stock of violins, violas and cellos, re-hair bows and convert some of the small violins to violas. Led by professional luthiers (string instrument makers), teachers and students of Newark School of Violin Making, with members of the charity ‘Luthiers sans Frontieres’ will be carrying out the repairs.
Helen Michetschläger, Manchester violin-maker and luthier said: “We should wherever possible be repairing and reusing rather than buying new, and stringed instruments can be quite high maintenance, especially in the hands of children! Being a luthier is a highly skilled profession and maintenance work on basic instruments is often not cost effective. Creating a working weekend where a group of people would blitz the instruments seemed the best way to support the Recycled Orchestra, so I approached some of my luthier friends who wanted to join in. The teachers may also find the instruments easier to tune after we’ve worked our magic; bows will have sufficient hair and the bridges will be the correct height so that strings no longer dig into tiny fingers.”
Jo Yee Cheung, Chief Executive at Olympias said: “We have been astounded by incredible energy and goodwill from individuals from across the community for The Recycled Orchestra. From the amazing instrument makers giving their time to fix up the children’s instruments, manufacturers offering discounted parts to help with repairs, and the countless donations of pre-loved instruments from members of the public. It’s amazing how many people have an old violin collecting dust in their attic and the amount of good that can come from a group of people who are willing to give a bit of time and tenderness to making these instruments come to life again. We can’t wait to put them into the hands of our young people.”
Louise Magill, Trust Manager at The Oglesby Charitable Trust said: “The multitude of positive outcomes generated by the Recycled Orchestra programme – for the environment, for young musicians, for the cultural sector, communities and for public awareness – are clear, meaningful and sustainable. This exemplar project demonstrates too how organisations outside the environmental sector can take effective climate change action, and we wish the brilliant team at Olympias every success in building on this exciting new initiative.”
Olympias Music Foundation is an award-winning music charity redefining music education for young people experiencing low income. Since its inception in 2015, Olympias has delivered over 38,000 free music lessons to young people with diverse backgrounds in Manchester. Its innovative model of free lessons and instruments, delivered in the heart of the community, puts the child and their family first. Olympias received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2023 and the ‘Outstanding Musical Initiative Prize’ at the Music and Drama Education Awards in 2024. Olympias celebrates 10 years since its foundation in 2025.
For more information on Olympias and the Recycled Orchestra visit www.olympiasmusicfoundation.com
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