We first made contact with Alina Orchestra via one of our longest-standing clients – Matt Green of the Palace Drum Clinic.
Matt is also one of the players at Alina Orchestra, and mentioned us to founder Nick Cutts.
Founded by Nick in 2017, the orchestra creates concerts that introduce audiences to classical music by presenting them in a friendly and approachable way, taking audiences on a musical journey with captivating performances of the highest of artistic excellence, led by renowned Musical Director, Hilary Davan Wetton. Alina is a non-profit charity.
When the orchestra initially started, they needed a website quickly to drive concert sales and raise awareness about activities, but sadly the website wasn’t fit for purpose.
We were confident we could bring it up to date and future proof it for the Orchestra’s requirements, so spent some time talking with Nick and scoping out their need for a new site. The orchestra performs dozens of events a year as well as special outreach events and their aptly named ‘Band in a Van‘.
We noted early on that keeping the site always relevant with the latest events, dates and times was not only a current challenge, but a critical component – on top of the typical information pages most websites require.
We established a dynamic architecture for the site that would allow Alina direct control to update the site themselves, and to automatically move old content to an archive that would preserve it, but also keep contemporary content most prominent:
A modern and responsive website
As part of our standard iterative design process, Ethical Pixels worked with Alina Orchestra to wireframe and design a modern, responsive website that is consistent with Alina’s branding. This site was then created pixel-perfect to match these specifications.
Showcasing the players
The talented musicians of Alina Orchestra each have their own dedicated profile page, showcasing their vast experience. The wider team including the board members, staff, and volunteers are also included, highlighting every member of the community behind the music. Best of all, the system is flexible, making it easy to add or remove people as the team evolves.
Upcoming events and archive
The next upcoming event is automatically featured on the home page, with the full list available on the Concerts page. This list is automatically sorted to show the soonest events first. Each event has its own page, complete with a description, key details, and a link to book tickets. Past event details and any media surrounding them are also automatically moved to an archive page.
Highlighting ways to support
As a charity orchestra, encouraging support was an important priority for Alina Orchestra. A dedicated page was created to reflect this, outlining the various ways people can get involved such as donations or becoming a friend of the organisation.
News about the orchestra
A dedicated news area was created to allow the clients to post updates on their own over time.
Contact Options
The contact page offers users two ways to reach out: sending a message or calling, giving users flexibility based on their preferences.
Mailing list integration
The website also allows users to subscribe directly to Alina Orchestra’s news and updates, giving the client an opportunity to grow their audience and stay connected with supporters, concertgoers, and the wider community. All in a user and GDPR-friendly implementation.
The Alina Orchestra team were happy with the results and have had positive feedback from users.
Ethical Pixels also took on hosting of the site, to provide a fast, stable platform that is also powered by 100% renewable energy, as verified by the Green Web Foundation.
If you’re a lover of classical music or simply happen to be in and around the Milton Keynes area, it’s definitely worth checking out Alina Orchestra and their upcoming schedule of concerts and events.
