Last week (Saturday, 11 to Sunday, 19 February) the University was host to 302 teenage musicians from across the country as part of a National Youth Orchestra (NYO) Inspire Days.
The musicians converged on the campus to take part in the award-winning NYO Inspire Ensembles project designed to give teenage musicians, who do not have regular access to orchestral music-making, transformative experiences in ensemble training.
The nine day project, hosted by the University’s Department of Music and held at The Guild of Students, saw participants spending immersive days in workshops and rehearsals, focused on peer learning and sharing with NYO Musicians.
Creative environment
Through this open exchange, participants can develop their ensemble playing skills and explore ways of listening, while experiencing the joys of orchestral music-making in a friendly and creative environment.
Students from the Department of Music received placement and volunteering opportunities, career advice sessions, opportunities to observe the workshops and network with some of the best instrumental tutors in the country.
Each residency culminated in the participants showcasing what they had learnt in a performance for family and friends.
‘amazing’
Oboist Ben Chilton, said: “It has always been amazing to find and learn something new at each workshop, and I always admire the way NYO shares and reaches out through music.
“The NYO Inspire Days have truly changed me as a musician and they have been a great influence on me.”
For more information regarding the NYO please visit https://www.nyo.org.uk