National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain |
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| Youth orchestra | |
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| Short name | NYO-GB |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Location | London |
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO-GB) is the main national youth orchestra for the United Kingdom. It has 164 members, all aged 13 to 19.
Young musicians can try out for the orchestra each autumn. To join, you need to play at a very high level, like Grade 8 Distinction. You don't need to have taken the actual exams, just be at that skill level.
The NYO has won several important awards. In 2011, it was chosen as a finalist for a top music award from the Royal Philharmonic Society. In 2012, the NYO won the Queen's Medal for Music. Then, in 2015, they won another Royal Philharmonic Society award. This was for their great work, especially starting a program called NYO Inspire.
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Who Started the NYO and Who Leads It?
The National Youth Orchestra was started in 1948 by Ruth Railton. She later became known as Dame Ruth King.
Over the years, many talented people have led the NYO. These include Ivey Dickson, Derek Bourgeois, and Jill White. Jonathan Vaughan was the director from 2002 to 2007. Since 2007, Sarah Alexander has been the Chief Executive and Artistic Director.
Each time the orchestra meets, a famous conductor leads them. Some of these conductors have been Vladimir Jurowski, Marin Alsop, Pierre Boulez, and Sir Simon Rattle. Walter Susskind was one of the first conductors for the NYO in the 1950s. Later, Christopher Seaman also led many courses.
What Are NYO Courses Like?
The orchestra gets together three times a year during school holidays. They meet around New Year, Easter, and in the Summer. These are two-week camps where they live and practice together. Expert teachers help them improve their skills.
The NYO plays many different types of music. They perform pieces by Romantic, 20th century, and modern composers. Some of these composers include James MacMillan, Thomas Adès, Julian Anderson, Judith Weir, and Gabriel Prokofiev.
Besides playing in the main orchestra, members can do other fun activities. They can play chamber music (music for small groups), join physical workshops, dance, sing, and try improvisation. It's also a great chance to make new friends!
Where Does the NYO Perform?
The NYO performs in many famous concert halls. These include Barbican Hall in London, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and Royal Festival Hall in London.
Every year, they play in a special Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. This concert celebrates young British musical talent. For example, in 2011, they played a piece with a DJ called DJ Switch. They also performed music by Britten and Sergei Prokofiev. They even played a very large piece by Gustav Mahler as part of a special event.
Playing New and Exciting Music
Playing modern music is very important to the NYO. In 2010, they performed a new piece called Fantasias by British composer Julian Anderson. This piece was written especially for a very skilled orchestra in the US. The NYO played its first London performance at the BBC Proms. They also played it for the first time in Europe at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
In April 2010, the orchestra grew to 173 players. They focused on all the orchestral works by Edgard Varèse. This included the first UK performance of his famous piece, Amériques, in its original version from 1921. Their concert was part of a festival where the NYO and another orchestra played all of Varèse's music over one weekend.
NYO courses also allow older members to meet younger musicians. This way, they can share their love for music and their knowledge with the next generation.
The orchestra also performed at the Young Euro Classic festival in 2015 and 2019.
NYO Composers: Creating New Music
The NYO also has a special course for young composers. This course has 7 young composers. From 2010, composers Anna Meredith and Larry Goves led it. Since 2023, Stavros Papanikolaou has been the new composer leader.
These young composers write pieces for small groups of instruments. They also lead short workshops with the entire symphony orchestra. In recent years, the pieces written by these young composers have been performed more often. Sometimes they are played before or after the main NYO concerts.
See also
In Spanish: Joven Orquesta Nacional de Gran Bretaña para niños Other national level ensembles from different organizations:
- National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain
- National Youth Concert Band of Great Britain
- National Youth String Orchestra
- National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain
- National Youth Jazz Orchestra
- National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain
- National Children's Wind Orchestra of Great Britain
- National Children's Wind Sinfonia of Great Britain
- National Youth Orchestra of Scotland
- National Youth Orchestra of Wales
Other international national youth orchestras:
- List of youth orchestras
Sources
- Official brochure of the National Youth Orchestra, Summer 2007
