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NYO success for RCM Junior Department musicians

Tuesday 12 December 2017

A total of 21 young musicians from the º£½ÇÂÒÂ×¹Ù·½ Junior Department have been selected this year for the . The NYO comprises 164 musicians from all over the UK and from different backgrounds who perform regularly at major venues across the country, including the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. The orchestra also undertakes three residencies per year during the school holidays.

This year, a further eight RCM Junior Department musicians have been invited to join the programme, which provides free opportunities for teenage musicians to take part in in-depth workshops, rehearsals and performances and work closely with NYO Musicians and Tutors to develop their orchestral playing.

The talented young musicians are: violinists Jeremy Weinstein, Louisa Ayerst, Gabriele Brasaite, Lily Harwood, Alexander Semple, Gabriella Bavetta and Lottie Swainston; violists Nadia Soole Sanchez, Luca Wadham and Emily Fraser; cellists Daniel Brandon and James Conway; flautist Marie Sato; oboists Antonia Holloway and Catriona Lockhart; clarinetist Iona Salter; bassoonist Julia Flint; horn players Brendan Connellan and Alexander Harris; trumpeter Tom Thornton; and composer Alexia Sloane.

Miranda Francis, Head of Junior Programmes at the RCM, comments, ‘I am delighted that so many of our talented young musicians will have the opportunity to be part of such an inspiring organisation. Their success is due to their personal dedication and the exceptional teaching that they receive here at the º£½ÇÂÒÂ×¹Ù·½. I am so proud of them all.’

Founded in 1948, the NYO is comprised entirely of teenagers and renowned for its brilliant, high-adrenaline and fresh orchestral performances. It is also known for its profound influence on classical music, with high-profile alumni such as Sir Simon Rattle, Alison Balsom and Judith Weir, as well as ex-NYO members in many leading orchestras and ensembles around the world.

This year's success continues the legacy of RCMJD students taking up prestigious positions in the NYO, with RCMJD alumnae Stephanie Childress, Elodie Chousmer-Howelles and Leora Cohen all having been appointed leader in recent years. 

The selected musicians will first perform with the orchestra in London on at the Barbican. For more information, visit .