This summer NYO are celebrating how far teenage musicians will go to share their passion for orchestral music with other young people across the UK.
NYO’s community of musicians will embark on one of their most ambitious summer programmes yet, going ‘Beyond’ to share music with their generation, from epic performances in sold out concert halls to nationwide primary school workshops.
‘Beyond’ will begin in July when the NYO Inspire Orchestra arrive in Devon and Cornwall for a school tour across the region. Teenage musicians will commit over a week of their summer to visit secondary schools in the southwest and perform a vibrant mix of music — from Star Wars film scores to Rimsky-Korsakov's masterwork, Scheherazade and traditional Devon folk tunes. NYO will expand their reach beyond the 4000 secondary school students they have already impacted through school concerts this year.
Throughout the summer, NYO’s teenage musicians will take the music they love beyond the concert hall, by organising and leading workshops at their local primary school, with many primary school children experiencing orchestral music for the first time. In 2024, NYO musicians reached 6000 children through their primary school workshops, and NYO are aiming to double that this year.
The Orchestra of 2025 will then commence a summer concert tour with performances in Birmingham, Suffolk and London, culminating in two BBC Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 and 10 August. Tickets for the 9 August BBC Prom sold out in two hours – the first Prom to do so this season – but 1,000 Day Promming tickets will be released on the day for those who missed out, with the performance also broadcast on BBC2 and available on BBC iPlayer. Some tickets are still available for NYO’s first Relaxed Prom on 10 August featuring the same programme. The Relaxed Prom will be conducted by Tess Jackson, and will offer a more informal and accessible concert experience.
Across the tour, 160 teenage musicians will bring the most epic music from the Star Wars soundtrack to life. They will launch into the cosmos with Caroline Shaw’s contemporary piece, The Observatory. The audience will travel through the solar system with a performance of Holst’s The Planets, conducted by Dalia Stasevska.
Through this cosmic journey, NYO hopes to reach a new audience of young people. In July, NYO will ask teenagers across the country to play their instrument ‘in space’ through AR filters on social media. NYO will invite organisations in the music education sector to get involved too by nominating someone in their musical world who has gone Beyond over the past year in music education or in their music making.
Sarah Alexander OBE, CEO & Creative Director: “Beyond is a moment to celebrate the whole universe of music education in the UK. From organisations and educators providing vital musical opportunities, to the nation’s teenage musicians who keep reminding us they want more music in their lives. The national moment of the Proms allows us to shine a light on the incredible people who make up our sector – together we can open up orchestral music to more young people than ever before.”
George, 17, horn, Lauder: “What I really love about NYO is the energy and excitement which you won’t find in any other orchestra. It has been a wonderful year, I’ve had so many amazing opportunities. The shared experience we have as young people all playing together is special. The way we connect with each other and with audiences through music is so powerful. I’m really excited to act as a role model on the school tour and give 110% on the Beyond concert tour, playing music I really love.”
The National Youth Orchestra Beyond tour
John Williams Star Wars
Caroline Shaw The Observatory
Holst The Planets
Orchestra Tour dates
6 August: Birmingham Symphony Hall
8 August: Snape Maltings Concert Hall
9 August: BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London
10 August: Relaxed Prom, Royal Albert Hall, London
Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Tess Jackson, conductor*
Inspire Orchestra school tour
7 July: Sherbourne, Dorset, inviting Dorset schools to see a concert on residency in Sherbourne
8 July: Torquay, Devon
9 July: Location tba
10 July: Ilfracombe Academy, Ilfracombe
11 July: St Peter's CofE School, Exeter
