www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra
Index of Content
- About the orchestra
- Orchestra course/concert dates
- How to join
- Auditions
- Membership subscription
- About the conductor
- Sponsorship opportunities
- Become a patron
- How to contact us
About the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra
The Wiltshire & Swindon Youth Orchestra was formed in the early 1960s and, since then, has played an important role in the musical and artistic life of the county. Between 1996 and 2002, the orchestra was one of the six orchestras from the UK to perform on Classic FM as part of the Sainsbury’s Youth Orchestra series. WSYO’s performance of Act 1 of Siegfried by Wagner, received national acclaim and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of the Youth Orchestras of the World Series. The orchestra has visited Vienna, Hungary, the United States of America, Prague and most recently Italy.
The orchestra meets three times a year during school holidays to rehearse and perform major symphonic works by composers such as Rachmaninov, Mahler, Dvoøák and Shostakovich. The orchestra has also commissioned works from leading British composers such as David Bedford, Gareth Wood and Bill Connor.
The Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra is recognised for the high quality of its performances. This is a great opportunity for young musicians to work with a professional conductor on some of the greatest works in the orchestral repertoire.
Orchestra Course and Concert Dates
2009 Season
The dates for the new season are as follows:
|
New Year |
Course dates Sunday 28 December - Wednesday 31 December 2008 Friday 2 January 2009 Concert dates Saturday 3 January and Sunday 4 January. Course and concerts to be held at the Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon. |
|
Easter |
Course dates Monday 13 April – Sunday 19 April 2009 Concert dates Saturday 18 April and Sunday 19 April. Course to be held at the Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon. Concerts to be held at Malmesbury Abbey and the Wiltshire Music Centre.. |
|
Summer |
Course dates Monday 24 August – Sunday 30 August 2009 Concert dates Saturday 29 August and Sunday 30 August Venues to be arranged. |
Concert programmes during the season will include
- Brahms: Tragic Overture,
- Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos,
- Bartók: Viola Concerto
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade.
Courses are held at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon and transport is available from various pick-up points in Wiltshire and Swindon including;
- Salisbury
- Lavington
- Devizes
- Trowbridge
- Swindon
- Wootton Bassett
- Calne
- Chippenham
- Corsham
How to Join the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra
The opportunity to join the orchestra is open to all Wiltshire and Swindon young musicians currently in full-time education. The minimum standard required is Grade 6 or equivalent.
If you are interested in joining please contact Emma Jackson, the Youth Orchestra Administrator on 01225 713871 for an application form or you can download an application form (pdf 66Kb) 
here.
The closing date for applications is Friday 23 October 2008. Applications are also welcomed throughout the year but will be kept on file until a suitable opening occurs
Auditions
Auditions take place during the autumn term but you may apply all year round.
During auditions you are asked to perform:
- Two contrasting pieces of your own choice (unaccompanied)
- An orchestral excerpt (which will be sent to you one week before the audition)
- A sight-reading piece
Membership Subscription
There will be 3 courses during 2009.
The membership subscription is £190 per annum for members paying in full before 31 December 2008 after which the price is £199 per annum. There is a £30 discount for second and subsequent members in the same family paying in full before 31 December 2008. There is an additional £20 charge for use of the coach for each course. Arrangements are in place for families that need to pay by instalment.
We are always sympathetic towards cases of genuine need and no one should hesitate to apply to join the orchestra because of financial concern. To apply for remission of fees please write to:
Valerie Hayward
Director-WSYO
Schools Branch
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Trowbridge
BA14 8JB
marking the envelope ‘confidential'.
About the Conductor - Timothy Redmond
Timothy Redmond has conducted concerts with some of Britain’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Opera North.
For over ten years he has been a regular guest conductor with the Manchester Camerata and recently he made his debut with the Northern Sinfonia and City of Oxford Orchestra. His well-known affinity with contemporary music has taken him to festivals throughout Europe and the US and he has broadcast on BBC and international radio. Last season he was appointed principal conductor of the Cambridge Philharmonic.
This season Tim records albums for Natasha Marsh and Mara Carlyle with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI), records Gerard McBurney’s Holly, Go Whistle with the Northern Sinfonia and conducts concerts with the Manchester Camerata and the Ulster Orchestra. In October he conducts the Russian premiere of Thomas Adès’ Powder Her Face at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg - a work he will also conduct later in the season in a new production for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Gerry Cornelius – Guest Conductor
Gerry Cornelius is a Londoner and started his musical education at the age of seven when he became a chorister and subsequently won an education authority award to attend London’s Centre for Young Musicians for the remainder of his school years. He went on to study at Durham University and then joined the postgraduate conductors’ course at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he won the August Manns & Henry Wood Prizes for conducting and the Philharmonia Chorus Scholarship. He then proceeded to St Petersburg to join Ilya Musin’s legendary conducting class.
On returning to the UK he trained for three seasons with British Youth Opera and subsequently conducted several productions of Mozart including a critically acclaimed production of Don Giovànni for Opera-Inside-Out. He was appointed conductor of the Morley Chamber Orchestra where he directed the first Tippett memorial festival in 2000. He then went on to become Music Director of Hertford Symphony Orchestra, Guest conductor for The Opera Group, and a regular conductor and member of the music staff for Aldeburgh-Almeida Opera Productions. During this time he was also the Music Director for the UK’s largest and most successful variety production - the Thursford Christmas Spectacular in Norfolk.
His occupation with both contemporary and mainstream repertoire has resulted in him being engaged to conduct many premiere productions of contemporary opera and music theatre works which have been critically acclaimed. These include the world premiers of works by Elena Langer [[for the Almeida Opera], Edward Rushton [for The Opera Group], Julian Grant [for ENO/The Knack ], Paul Clark [for the Institute for Contemporary Arts] and Jonathan Dove [for Spitalfields Festival].
Sponsorship Opportunities
Companies and individuals can help support the orchestra through four levels of sponsorship programme; Adopt a Chair, Bronze, Silver and Gold. View our sponsorship programme (pdf 177Kb) .
Become a Patron
The orchestra is generously supported by Sponsors, Patrons and the Friends of the Wiltshire & Swindon Youth Orchestra. Contributions to the orchestra are needed for funding instruments and overseas tours which could not otherwise take place. By becoming a Patron and or joining the Friends and attending the concerts you will help ensure the future of the orchestra. View our patron programme (pdf 103Kb) .
Contact Details
For enquires please contact The Orchestra Secretary.
By Post
Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Orchestra
Schools Branch
Department for Children and Education
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JB
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713871
