National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (abbreviation NYO) is an orchestra of about 150 young musicians from the United Kingdom. The members of the orchestra are all aged between 13 and 19 years. They perform in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Great Britain under the direction of famous conductors.
As with many youth orchestras the players are selected by auditions which take place in the autumn each year at various locations in the country. The minimum standard needed to audition is a Grade 8 Distinction (though it is not necessary to have taken the examination). Good technical ability is important as is the ability to learn quickly and adapt to musical demands.
The Orchestra is fast approaching its 60th anniversary in 2008.
NYO Organization and past conductors
The National Youth Orchestra was founded in 1948 by Ruth Railton (later Dame Ruth King). Subsequently the NYO directors have been Ivey Dickson (1966-1984), Derek Bourgeois (1984-1993), Jill White (1993-2002), Jonathan Vaughan (2002-2007), and currently Sarah Alexander.
Each course is directed by a world-famous conductor. These have included Marin Alsop, Jiri Belohlavek, Sir Adrian Boult, Paul Daniel, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Colin Davis, Mark Elder, Ivan Fisher, Hugo Rignold, Andrew Litton, Keith Lockhart, Sir Roger Norrington, Tadaaki Otaka, Geoffrey Paterson, Sir Simon Rattle and Mstislav Rostropovich. Future plans include concerts under Sir James McMillan and Vasily Petrenko.
Courses
The orchestra meets three times a year during the school holidays at New Year, Easter and Summer for two week residential courses. They are coached by tutors with wide experience. Repertoire includes a wide variety of works by Romantic, 20th century and contemporary composers including Macmillan and Terry Riley. In addition to the main orchestral activity they have time to participate in chamber music and establish strong friendships. In the evenings after rehearsals, many opportunities are available such as quiz nights, film viewings, fancy dress parties, and the leaver's Dinner every summer course for those members who are in their last year of the orchestra.
Venues for their concerts include Barbican Hall, (London), Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall, (Manchester), St David's Hall, (Cardiff) and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Every year they play in a Promenade Concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Performances in 2007 have included Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in St Paul’s Cathedral under Richard Hickox and a Prom programme including the Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich under Mark Elder. Contemporary music is also an important part of their repertoire. Their 2007 Prom opened with the London premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’s New Era Dance (the UK premiere having been given by Elder with the Halle in 2003). In June selected members of the orchestra played for an hour on the main pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival.Trumpeters, trombonists and drummers from the orchestra played Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, but the whole orchestra joined together to play Dvorak's 9th Symphony 'New World' and 'A short Ride in a Fast Machine' by John Adams.
Composer's Class
NYO members have always had the opportunity to benefit from composition lessons and to have their works performed on NYO courses. A Composers Class, directed by composer Paul Patterson, now runs alongside orchestral rehearsals. There are usually about 8 members who audition to do composition on the courses, spending the time when the orchestra is rehearsing, composing projects set for them. The advantage of having a whole symphony orchestra at your disposal is definitely helpful for tailoring compositions, for example between the winter and spring courses 2007-2008 the composers are working on a project for the Bassoon section, composing solo and group pieces to bulk out the limited repertoire at the average Bassoonist's disposal! In August 2007 some of their film music was shown at the Royal College of Arts on the day of the NYO Prom. When previous director Johnny Vaughn left in summer 2007, the composers wrote a Ballad, performing it to him as one of his presents!
Masterclasses and creative projects
The NYO has introduced special masterclasses attracting world-class soloists to offer help and guidance to members of the orchestra. Creative projects which take place in the Summer provide the musicians with the opportunity of exploring improvisation techniques and music from other cultures. Each year almost 70 members of the Orchestra attend the creative projects, under the guidance of 11 specialised professors.
Open Days
NYO started holding Open Days in 1998 as a means of enabling young musicians to experience the fun of working with other musicians of the same age under the guidance of NYO's renowned Professors (tutors).
These days are aimed at musicians aged between 10 and 17, of grade 6 standard or above, although no exams need to have been taken. They are usually held in three locations per year. Since 1998, they have held Open Days in Hexham, Northampton, Nottingham, Winchester, Edinburgh, Bradford on Avon, Birmingham, Leeds, Launceston, Ipswich, Manchester, Bristol, Reading, London, Leicester and Kent.[1]
External links
References
- National Youth Orchestra Official website
- Official brochure of the National Youth Orchestra, Summer 2007