We are excited to share the new anthem for Brighton & Hove, Dare to Dream, written in celebration of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 football tournament taking place this summer. Musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and workshop leader/composer Sam Mason collaborated with members of the Brighton & Hove community across eight different workshops to come up with lots of ideas for the music and lyrics for this anthem.

They visited Hove Junior School for a workshop which involved bouncing 30 footballs to create different rhythms, Hill Park School and Patcham High School, with some Patcham Juniors year 6 pupils joining in too for creative improvisation, composition and lyric-writing.

The RPO also spent a day at Brighton Museum, and members of the public were able to drop in, try out instruments and create songs on the spot with the help of Sam and the professional musicians.

The music at the start of the anthem is taken from a lovely workshop with New Note Orchestra, where everyone got to enjoy the sounds of a trombone and theramin duet! Other ideas came from creative workshops with A Seat at the Table, a support group for children of colour or dual heritage and their families, and The Network for International Women of Brighton & Hove, a community organisation for women from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Huge thanks to all the organisers for helping to make these workshops a great success, and to all the participants over the past few months for sharing your brilliant ideas. We hope you enjoy listening to and learning the new anthem for Brighton!

Listen to the Brighton anthem, Dare to Dream, here.

Join the RPO at the Brighton Fan Zone on 11^th July for performances of Dare to Dream and sing along!

Henrietta Ford

Women’s EURO Anthem Project Manager

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

We heard also from some of the members of Brighton based choir, ‘The Choir With No Name’ on their experiences with recording with the Philharmonic Orchestra for the Anthem at the end of May 2022. 

This opportunity has given so much lift to our choir, especially coming out of pandemic. It has helped us all to look forward and dream again. Everyone that went said it was one of the most fantastic experiences of their lives. It really is amazing to be involved – Paul Phillips, Choir Manager

‘ It was not so long ago in history that women had to disguise themselves as men, so that
they could play football. In the 1970’s, in the 1980’s and even as late as the 1990’s, girls and
women were discouraged from playing football.
My female friends and I, were not allowed to have a football team at school. Netball and
Hockey were acceptable but football was deemed a ‘boys game’.
This opportunity to go and sing and record with a 100 strong choir and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, extolling and celebrating an all women’s England football team has
such a deep meaning of liberation for me.
To be able to witness such a wonderful shift in perception by society as a whole towards
women in football and then to be able to have the experience of working with such a cross
section of society through the various community choirs and to have the honour to sing and
record with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and to see Shirley Thompson O.B.E. in action,
has been such an uplifting and empowering experience.
I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to seeing the Lioness’, represent
England in the E.U.A.F.A. tournament , with the amazing Anthem, as the backdrop to how
communities can unite to include everyone. ‘ – Ess, Choir Member

Hey world, Do you know who’s playing? I’m from a small Comunnity in Brazil and we all love
football. Doesn’t mean we know how to play. I don’t. But when a woman is playing, breaking
paradigms, that message is for the whole world.
Being in Cadogan Hall with the Choir With No Name performing with the Royal Philharmonic
For a Woman’s Euro Competition surrounded by very special people and voices from
different hoirs in the UK, was more than I ever dreamed. I was feeling such a happiness.
Like when your team is scoring another goal. These women are playing for sports, for them,
for Euro with a message of unity, peace, embracing the whole world.
Thanks isn’t enough!
I loved everything and all the people who were there. – Silvana, Choir Member