Tribute to Seb Farrall - Our Maestro

Type of post:	Orchestra news item
Sub-type:	No sub-type
Posted By:	Adam Millett
Status:	Current
Date Posted:	Wed, 28 May 2025

One year ago, we played at the Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, alongside Sing It Loud Community Choir, celebrating their 10 year anniversary.

Both Sing it Loud and Coventry City of Culture Orchestra, were founded by Seb Farrall. As most of you will already know, Seb passed away on 30 March, after a tragic cycling accident.

With heavy hearts, we are continuing the legacy that Seb has built. Not only did he form an open and inclusive orchestra, for people with a range of abilities and including instruments you don’t normally see in an orchestra, but he created a community, one which all of our members are proud to be part of.

Seb’s passion to bring music to everyone was evident in everything that he did, with the last concert he conducted for us, the Family Fancy Dress Animal Concert, being the pinnacle of this. We managed to bring joy and laughter to the audience, and we hope we inspired children to learn and partake in music.

Seb will always be with us, in every rehearsal, in every concert, and in every applause. We are forever grateful to Seb for bringing this musical community together, and we will strive to be the best we can possibly be for him, his wife Fran, and his daughter Maisy.

David Rhodes, 1st Violin, has written the following tribute about our Maestro, Seb Farrall.

"It is with heavy hearts that we remember the Coventry City of Culture Orchestra’s founder, conductor and general inspiration – Sebastian Farrall. Though his time with us currently feels heartbreakingly short, Seb’s legacy is already in motion—resounding, enduring, and deeply woven into the lives of those he inspired, especially those of us in this orchestra, which is not just a thriving community but a loving family that could only have been brought into existence by Seb’s amazing vision.

Seb was a dazzling force of nature: brilliant, multi-talented, and joyfully creative. He brought vision, energy, and flair to every rehearsal, every performance, and every project. And yet, beyond all the dazzle, what shone brightest was his gentleness, his kindness, and his steady, unwavering humility. One member described him as “living his life in the God lane—with integrity, compassion, and deep purpose”. His example of how to live and love whilst firing on all cylinders leaves others without excuse, honour bound to follow that lead.

In 2021, Seb was appointed as one of four Artists in Residence through the Coventry Central Hall’s initiative for the City of Culture celebrations by its (then) new minister, Rev. Stephen Willey. When Seb stated his vision: to form a brand-new, full symphony orchestra that welcomed not just polished musicians, but also those who hadn’t played for years, Stephen would have been forgiven for thinking he was a little crazy – an impossible dream, perhaps?! But what began as a spark became a fire: the Coventry City of Culture Orchestra was born, and with it, a community built around music, inclusion, and joy.

Seb’s final concert with us, in March 2025, was perhaps the most joyful of all. Themed around the Animal Kingdom, the family-friendly fancy dress concert brought out the very best of Seb’s spirit. Sections of the orchestra were transformed into flamingos, penguins, and pink panthers—led by Seb himself, beaming in sequins (just like so many of us today). Over 450 audience members, many dressed as animals too, filled the venue. From the costumes to the soft play baby area, Seb and Fran had thought of it all. It was a celebration not just of music, but of imagination, welcome, fun, and the human spirit. Who knows how many young people in that audience will be inspired to become our future musicians or conductors: that was Seb’s mission and he put his absolute all into it.

Just before that concert, one orchestra member told me how she accidentally walked in on Seb mid-costume change. The main sight to behold, however, wasn’t Seb in his pants—but the sight of his dad, squeezing into a bright yellow chicken onesie. Any predictable embarrassment was quickly replaced with laughter and a shared sense that this must surely be some glorious payback for something Seb’s dad made him do in childhood. That small moment in an even smaller cupboard-like dressing room somehow held everything Seb stood for—joy, laughter, openness, and family.

Seb went above and beyond to help others thrive and to include everyone, from arranging practice spaces, lifts, instruments, tutoring… the list goes on. His generosity and support knew no bounds. He made space and time for others, always. And perhaps his biggest gift was making all of us believe in ourselves. The writer of this tribute, like so many other members of the orchestra, had not even touched their instrument for years when the advert for Seb’s “pipe dream” caught our eyes. See, it’s not just a matter of dusting off an instrument and continuing where you left off. When you stop playing for a prolonged period, you lose not only your skills, but your confidence and your very passion. It took Seb to reignite that passion and remind us all that music lives on deep within our souls. With his nourishment and nurture, you finally realise that it never went away. No matter your level, Seb treated you as a peer. He made music-making joyful and fun for all. Who could forget: “Well done! You can have 10 points and an out-of-date biscuit?!” (I’m not sure anyone in the orchestra knows what we can cash the points in for yet!)

Seb’s love of music and belief that it should be accessible to everyone, his energy, commitment and enthusiasm live on in his family and every one of us. He may be gone from our sight, but never from our future music-making, our memories, or our hearts. Seb will be remembered for so many things, but part of his legacy stands right here before you: this bunch of quirky, loyal and heartbroken musicians known as the Coventry City of Culture Orchestra – we are not perfect and we may never be the finished product… but we are his family and our fire still burns.

Thank you, Seb."