Alleyn’s Musicians Perform in NYO Festival

Over the Christmas holidays, a group of six Alleyn’s musicians from Upper and Middle Schools were selected to join the Winter Residency of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO). They travelled to Warwick University for 10 days of intensive rehearsals and musical activity, preparing for performances at the Barbican and Warwick Arts Centre. The two diverse programs of music were created as part of the NYO Open initiative which provides opportunities for musicians from all backgrounds to collaborate and perform.

The Winter Residency culminated in January with two NYO Open Up & Let Loose! concerts at Warwick Arts Centre, broadcast on YouTube on February 21, and at the Barbican, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on February 22. The highlight of both performances was Rachmaninoff's explosively energetic 'Symphonic Dances' which was conducted by Andrew Gourlay in Warwick and by Sian Edwards in London. The orchestra was split in two due to Covid-19 measures with Alleyn’s musicians participating in both groups. We congratulate our incredibly talented musicians for their part in what is a hugely exciting and remarkable project.

Warwick Arts Centre:

Emily - Principal Oboe

Alex - Principal Clarinet

Sophie - Percussion

Jem - Violin

Gabriel – Cello

Watch the Warwick Arts Centre performance here.

Barbican:

Laurence - Double Bass

Watch the Barbican performance here.

In April, the pupils will among 160 players to play live at the Royal Festival Hall performing Stravinsky's terrifying masterpiece 'The Rite of Spring'. It is sure to be an amazing experience and we wish our musicians all the best on the day! Tickets are available on the Southbank Centre website here.