NYO Inspire is your chance to take your playing to the next level and get that breakthrough orchestral experience. At the heart of the programme is the power of peer inspiration and learning—we believe you can gain so much from open exchange and sharing with fellow teenage musicians.

Through in-depth workshops, rehearsals, and public performances, these free events offer you the opportunity to develop your ensemble playing skills, meet enthusiastic musicians from across the country, and work closely with NYO Musicians and Tutors in a friendly and creative environment.

So, if you’re a committed teenage musician that needs more orchestral opportunities, come from a state school, and play at Grade 6 or above (or equivalent), join us on an NYO Inspire 2017 project and experience transformative music-making.

Projects

NYO Inspire Ensembles are 3-day residencies in orchestral family groups: Strings, Winds, Brass and Percussion. They are aimed at improving your musical technique and ability by tackling challenging repertoire and exploring ensemble playing. NYO Inspire Ensembles take place at the University of Liverpool and are specifically meant to give musicians, who have limited orchestral opportunities, a high-quality musical experience.

11 –13 Feb 2017    String & Brass Ensembles
                                      (violin, viola, cello, double bass,                                                 horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba)
14 –16 Feb 2017    Wind Ensemble
                                      (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn)
17 –19 Feb 2017   String & Percussion Ensembles                                                    (violin, viola, cello, double bass,                                                  harp, percussion) 

NYO Inspire Day is an immersive one-day event of orchestral workshops and rehearsals, where you’ll play side-by-side with NYO Musicians.

23 Jul 2017       University of Birmingham
24 Sep 2017    Leeds

 

How to Apply

We are no longer accepting applications for NYO Inspire 2017, but if you're still interested, you can join us on our free NYO Inspire Days that happen throughout the year. 


It's Free!

NYO Inspire is for all teenage musicians who would benefit from the opportunity, irrespective of individual means. We will be funding all places, but as a charity, we have to raise over £1.5m every year to continue doing what we do. So, if you do have the means to contribute, we would be very grateful for your support.

You can donate online here or donate by cheque—please make the cheque payable to NYO, and post to NYO, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA. Your contribution gives teenagers a musical opportunity like no other. Thank you for your support. 

If you have any questions, just contact the NYO Inspire Team on inspire@nyo.org.uk.
 

Major Sponsor 
of NYO Inspire:

When I got the email about NYO Inspire Orchestra, I rushed to reply back. Having had lots of fun and experienced great musicianship on the NYO Inspire String Ensemble Residency earlier, I was very excited to see what could be done on a longer course. And I was not disappointed. Every aspect of NYO Inspire Orchestra was incredible. The players, tutors, conductor Duncan Ward and staff were all inspiring, and I loved the repertoire that we got to play and share with the schools we visited. 

Sectionals were a particular highlight due to our double bass tutor, Roberto Carillo-Garcia, and the amazing other bassists in the section. In Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1, there were many challenging parts that Roberto helped us to take apart. Being a great orchestral player and teacher, he gave us the best fingerings and helped us with our orchestral technique. It was very sad when we had to say goodbye.

On our third day we had chamber groups. At first I was rather worried about being the only bass player in the group. However it turned out to be a great opportunity to work closely with different players and learn from another string tutor Kyra Humphries. I learned about the other musicians’ take on how parts of the Shostakovich symphony should be played, which developed my further understanding of the piece. 

When I heard that we were going to be having a dance class, my immediate thought was to run and hide. However once I realised that it would involve Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ (so we just had to get funky), I was more than willing to give it a go. It turned out to be a real laugh and I must say that the bass section was definitely the best at dancing! 

NYO Inspire is a chance to spread the word about the joy of music and our tour to local schools and youth orchestras did just that. It was extremely rewarding to see young people get their fingers around trickier parts and smile after they could suddenly play something. I hope that we were inspiring because it would be fantastic if more young people were encouraged to experience and play great classical music. We are its future!


Thea Sayer
Double Bass
NYO Inspire Orchestra