A new home for young musicians in Sheffield

When the team behind Harmony Works first imagined creating a vibrant, permanent home for music education in Sheffield, they knew they were taking on more than just a building project. The ambition was to transform a long-empty, Grade II* listed building -Canada House, located at a key gateway to the city – into a vibrant, creative hub for thousands of young musicians. What followed was a complex and collaborative journey involving fundraising, heritage redevelopment, stakeholder engagement, and legal hurdles.

At the heart of this journey has been the legal team at CMS, who has provided pro bono support to the project since 2020.

A hub for music and community

The Harmony Works Trust wanted to create more than just a venue. Their goal was to consolidate scattered music provision across Sheffield into one inspiring and inclusive space, capable of reaching up to 30,000 children – twice the current number.

But Harmony Works also aimed to do much more:

• Inspire generations through the combined magic of music and heritage
• Give life to forgotten heritage by repurposing an historic building with minimal environmental impact
• Improve wellbeing and foster creativity across communities
• Act as a magnet for talent, drawing top-tier performers and educators to the region
• Preserve, restore and maintain the Grade II* Canada House
• Support the regeneration of Castlegate, a once-thriving but more recently neglected area of the city.

Realising that vision needed more than just ideas or architectural ambition – it required legal expertise across multiple disciplines.

A complex legal landscape

As with any major redevelopment, especially involving a heritage site, Harmony Works faced significant legal complexity. CMS stepped in early to provide wide-ranging, strategic support.

Key contributions included:

• Establishing the charitable entity to form a solid foundation for fundraising and governance
• Advising on funding agreements with high-profile supporters including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, and the Sheffield Gateway Levelling Up Fund
• Navigating property acquisition and heritage compliance, including due diligence and transactional work related to Canada House
• Supporting long-term operational planning to ensure the building could function as a shared space for performances, workshops, and educational activity.

This collaborative legal effort involved multiple CMS teams, including Real Estate, Real Estate Disputes, Finance, and Corporate lawyers across the firm’s Sheffield and London offices.

“Quite simply, it is no exaggeration to state that without the support of CMS and access to legal skills across a range of specialisms, Harmony Works would never have got off the ground and progressed beyond an idea.” –  Emily Pieters, Project Director, Harmony Works

A cornerstone of cultural life

Harmony Works is now well on its way to becoming a cornerstone of cultural life in Sheffield. With the help of CMS, the Trust has not only secured the building but also laid the legal and structural groundwork for a sustainable, long-term future.

Once complete, the building will:

• Provide a central home for music education, inspiring generations through the joint magic of music and heritage
• Host public performances and events, expanding cultural access and improving wellbeing through music and community
• Revive a historic site, breathing new life into Castlegate and bringing vital footfall to the area
• Extend the reach of local charities and music organisations, through shared space and collaboration
• Support regional renewal and post-pandemic recovery, rejuvenating with a fresh sense of possibility.

“Harmony Works is a very exciting initiative, and CMS is proud to be playing a key part in this important development. The building will become a focal point for young musicians in the Sheffield City Region and will help extend music education to tens of thousands of local schoolchildren.

“Sheffield has a rich musical heritage – this is the city that gave the world the likes of Joe Cocker, Human League, Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys. It’s exciting to think that our work on Harmony Works for the Sheffield Music Academy could help inspire and identify similar talent in future.” – Tanya Holt, Lead Partner, CMS