The
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is known to be one of the world’s
best collections of young musicians; a grand symphony orchestra of 163 advanced
players. The members are between the ages of about 14 to 18, and come together
three times a year from across the entirety of the UK. The orchestra itself is
larger than most symphony orchestras, with an extensive 10 desks in each string
section, 11 French horns, 6 percussionists and a further extensive cast of
people creating massively inspiring music and performing in concert halls in
the UK and beyond.
Not
only does the orchestra perform and play for others around the country, but
they introduce other young players to the orchestra, and to classical music
itself. Each year, every member will contribute to at least one event that
includes, introduces and inspires progressing players to pursue their work. One
of these events is ‘Play The School’, where a chunk of the orchestra travel to
visit local schools and preform for them. As they do this, they run workshops
where the pupils they work with can learn about and play with advanced
musicians. Another is the ‘Inspire Day’ project, in which another chunk of the
NYO musicians let other young musicians of a similar age (some of whom are
younger) join them in a day of rehearsing. They work with a schedule and
repertoire similar to that of an everyday NYO musician’s, to give them a sense
of what it’s like to be in an orchestra playing at such a level. As well as
this, some of the people who audition and don’t make the cut are allowed to
join the orchestra for one day in their regular rehearsals for a real concert
tour. This way, they get to know what it’s like to play with the entire
orchestra, rather than just a handful of its participants. The purpose of these
projects are to introduce as many young people as possible to new kinds of
music, and inspire them to pursue their own musicality. As they say,
representation matters, and for budding musicians to see their peers playing at
such a seemingly ‘unattainable level’ and being approachable to others, it
could encourage them to not only work hard to develop their own musicality, but
may help support the classical music
industry- something that is losing its funding and support practically daily.
This
year, the NYO are playing yet again at the BBC Proms, an international music
festival hosted by the Royal Albert Hall in London. The repertoire for this
year’s performance includes two of the most famous and popular pieces known
worldwide today – The Planets, a suite by Holst, and ____ by Strauss. These
pieces are likely to not only be executed phenomenally by the extensive
orchestra, but attract a larger audience of younger people by bringing to them
a live performance of pieces they will surely recognise and appreciate. We
interviewed the orchestra’s new leader, Evelyn Purdy, who has played as a solo
violinist in many a concerto, and has taken a pause from her own solo touring
to lead the NYO in their upcoming year of concerts, culminating in the final
Prom.
Q
– HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LEAD THE NYO THIS YEAR?
A
– “It’s a huge privilege – even to be part of such an amazing group of people
is one thing, but to be able to actively help and guide them to drive their
musicality towards such a goal is something I find astounding. I won’t lie, my
job is hard work. I have to guide players during each rehearsal, and it can be
slightly unnerving knowing that there is always someone behind you, watching
your every bow so they can follow suit. But as scary as it can be, the people I
work with are extremely supportive and I honestly couldn’t hope for a better
environment to work in. I’m definitely proud to have been offered this role,
and I look forward to embracing it further in the future!”
Q
– WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS YEAR’S REPETOIRE FOR THE PROMS?
A
– “Say what you like about it, I am so, so pleased this is what we’re playing!
I think it’s funny that we’ve decided to go with a space theme for the concert
but I can’t say why. You see, we don’t usually play more than one piece per
concert with such renounce, so to have an entire programme to prepare with such
famous works is going to be fantastic. The Planets is something I’ve played before,
and I am more than willing to play it many times again! The Strauss, in all
honestly, is new to me, but having heard it so many times in movies, videos,
everywhere – it’s going to be so weird making that music myself! So weird but
so wonderful, I guess. As well as this, the NYO’s aim is primarily to make
classical and orchestral music accessible to as many young people as possible
right? That way they can support the business, pursue what they enjoy, all of
that. I can guarantee that anyone of any age will know the works we’re playing,
and kids especially would enjoy hearing something they recognise. It’s all good
stuff, I think.”
Q
– WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AS LEADER?
A
– “Plans? Well, being a leader in this context doesn’t give you quite the
freedom as you’d expect. It’s my job to sit at the front and play confidently,
allow others to follow me and bring people in at their queue. When it comes
down to it, referring to the final concert, I can’t really choose what happens
at all. Having said that, it’s almost a completely different setup during the
course. I have to make my contributions during rehearsals as to what I think
sounds best, or how I think it’s easiest to play, or to pick out ay reoccurring
mistakes that a conductor or tutor fails to notice themselves. I also have to
work with bonding my section – during our free time on the residentials, we
sometimes have what we call ‘section night’ – in short, it’s when we spend the
evening getting to know the other members of our sections through activities organised
by our section leader. That being, of course, me. So I guess my overall plan
for this year is to make sure everyone knows their contribution and work as a
performer is important, and to encourage everyone to work hard!”
Q
– ANY ADVICE FOR MUSICIANS AROUND YOUR AGE, OR MAYBE YOUNGER?
A
– “Be inspired! Keep trying! I am fully aware that all of this sounds kind of
corny and that you probably hear it a lot, but each and every musician in the
NYO started out by not knowing a thing about music. But they all pursued what
they enjoyed; they worked hard at it, and look at them now! And there are more
perks than you think. The thing about being a musician is that the better you
get the higher standards you set yourself for playing. As well as this, you constantly
find yourself surrounded by people around your level in playing. Because of
this, it’s hard to believe that you’re getting any better at what you’re doing.
But every now and again, you need to remind yourself that you are doing well
and you are improving! Because if that’s what you’re working to do, it will
inevitably happen. Being in the classical music business allows you to make
friendships that last a lifetime. I’m still in close contact with a friend I
met at an orchestra six years ago! We live miles and miles apart, but here’s
the thing – you honestly meet such amazing and unique people that the
relationships you make truly and honestly last a lifetime. There’s nothing like
it, you’ve got to embrace the opportunities you have. Get out there! Make the
most of it! And most of all enjoy yourself!”
