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National Open Youth Orchestra Debut Concert

NOYO

Group of young musicians with their instruments on a yellow background

Debut performance of the National Open Youth Orchestra.

Over twenty of the UK’s most talented young disabled and non-disabled musicians will take to the stage, for an afternoon of exciting new music that will celebrate the diversity of the orchestra and pushes the boundaries of classical and contemporary music in new directions. 

You can expect to hear beautiful new work; What Fear We Then? by Alexander Campkin, commissioned in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and a new piece by British Composer Award winner Liam Taylor-West.

Discover the sounds of accessible and electronic instruments such as the Clarion, LinnStrument, and Seaboard RISE alongside more familiar acoustic instruments, showcasing how diversity can lead to new musical possibilities for the future of inclusive orchestral ensembles.

This performance will be relaxed and BSL interpreted.
 

£5 Young Barbican exhibition tickets

Aged 14-25? Sign up for free and unlock £5 exhibition tickets for you and a mate

Relaxed Performance

This concert is presented in a relaxed atmosphere suitable for a neurodiverse audience, as well as those who find a more informal setting beneficial.

For this concert:
•    The lights are dimmed, though not off.
•    There is a Chill Out area located just outside the concert hall for anyone needing a bit of quiet time before or during the performance.
•    There is a relaxed attitude to noise 
•    Audience members are free to move to the standing area at the back of the hall or the beanbag seating area at the front 
•    Staff are trained and ready to assist with any help you or other audience members may need while you're at the concert.
 

Discover: What We Fear Then?

National Open Youth Orchestra perform What We Fear Then?

"What Fear We Then?" by Alexander Campkin was co-commissioned with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Music video by award-winning director Justin Edgar showcases the potential of 26 young musicians - disabled and non-disabled members of NOYO.

About NOYO

The National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) is a world-first, ambitious orchestra launched in September 2018 to give some of the UK’s most talented young disabled musicians a progression route. It promotes musical excellence, supporting 11-25-year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians to rehearse and perform together as members of a pioneering inclusive ensemble.

Some of the National Open Youth Orchestra musicians play acoustic instruments; others, electronic instruments like the Clarion, which can be played with any movement of the body including the eyes.
NOYO collaborates with cutting-edge composers to create exciting new music for a diverse range of musicians and instruments. Our first commission, ‘The Umbrella’ by Liam Taylor-West won a British Composer Award in 2018.

Interested in joining the orchestra. Visit the NOYO website to find out more

The National Open Youth Orchestra is delivered through regional NOYO Centres. 
NOYO’s London Centre is in partnership with the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
 

Milton Court Concert Hall