The first Orchestra residency and tour of the year has now come to an end, and the response to Shimmer has been glowing!
We kicked off the New Year with a series of glimmering performances at the Barbican, Warwick Arts Centre, and Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, alongside a wide range of activities beyond the concert hall that reached young people across the country.
Together with conductor Alexandre Bloch, the Orchestra of 2026 delivered dazzling performances of Debussy’s Iberia, Karim Al-Zand’s City Scenes, Anna Clyne’s DANCE, with cello soloist Inbal Segev, and Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole.
And no NYO concert is complete without surprises! The performance began even before the Orchestra took their seats, with an ensemble of NYO musicians performing the jazzy Autumn Leaves, featuring Alexandre Bloch on piano. And that wasn’t all – at the finale, the brass sounded triumphant fanfares before the full Orchestra joined in to perform Rossini’s William Tell Overture… a cappella!
From standing ovations to rave reviews, Shimmer made its mark. Find out what the reviewers had to say.
Inspiring the next generation
This winter, musicians from The National Youth Orchestra brought orchestral music directly to young people across the country.
- In Birmingham, 800 school students experienced the power of a teenage orchestra live in a special schools concert, featuring music from the Shimmer tour and musical Wicked.
- At youth centres in North-West, musicians delivered live performances and creative workshops, inspiring the next generation of music-makers.
- In London, Coventry and Nottingham, over 200 local teenage musicians joined the Orchestra for special Side by Side rehearsals, sharing the excitement and impact of making orchestral music together with people their age.
- At every concert venue, NYO musicians personally welcomed local young people groups, radiating their passion for orchestral music and creating a relaxed atmosphere to experience orchestral music live.
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