On 19^th July, William will be singing at the Paxton Music Festival in Berwickshire, Scotland. This festival was formed in 2006 to present high quality performances of chamber music at Paxton House. Since then, the Festival has grown from a weekend of concerts to a ten-day event, bringing international artists to the Scottish Borders such as Joanna MacGregor; Steven Osborne; as well as the Doric, St Petersburg, Edinburgh and Heath Quartets. William will be performing a mixed programme including Gypsy Songs by Dvorak, Dover Beach by Barber and Death and the Maiden by Schubert. Shortly after he will perform Bach’s B Minor Mass in Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh accompanied by Ludus Baroque, a baroque chamber orchestra founded in 1997 by Richard Neville-Towle.

Every September since 2006, the American Military Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands holds an open-air concert to remember and honour the Allied soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom in World War II and to celebrate the liberation of The Netherlands.  On the 8^th September William will perform Mozart’s Requiem at this concert alongside Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland, conducted by Roberto Rizzi Brignoli.

Later in the year, William will head back to England to perform Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum at St John’s Smith Square, London with the City of London Choir, and “Music For a While”, conducted by Hilary Davan Wetton on 14^th November.

Along with these concerts, William will also be performing The Kingdom by Elgar at Guildford Catherdral with the Surrey Festival Choir and Orchestra on 6^th July, Dixit Dominus and Apollo e Dafne by Handel at the Haddo Arts Festival in Aberdeen on 5^th October, and Weihnachts Oratorium by Bach in Edinburgh with Ludus Baroque on 3^rd December, and Handel’s Messiah at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on 13^th and 14^th December.  William will perform Messiah once again at Santiago de Campostela in Spain with the Real Filharmonia Galicia, conducted by Paul Daniel.

Keep up to date with news from Lionel through his website, Facebook and regular posts on the WildKat PR website.

The National Orchestra For All, established only two years ago by Marianna Hay, is the most similar to El Sistema’s process that has achieved so much recognition globally. Based neither on achievement nor ability to play, the orchestra is assembled from 11-16 year old children in special measure schools. As Christiansen describes, teachers nominate students who have special needs or learning difficulties, and often come from troubled family backgrounds. Marianna Hay emphasises that ‘the point is not to foster professional soloists but to use the experience of making music as an exercise in focused co-operation and collaboration. This can make a huge difference to a child’s confidence, as well as broadening cultural horizons’.

Sarah Derbyshire, Managing Director of the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain said that NOFA is a ‘great initiative and another example of the wider impact playing in an orchestra can have on children, musically as well as socially and emotionally’. The NCO, which is celebrating its 35^th anniversary this year, constitutes five age-banded orchestras for 7-14 year olds, and they fundraise extensively to ensure that no talented child is ever denied a place for financial reasons, believing that ‘the ability to play is far more important than the ability to pay’. Sarah Derbyshire emphasises the part that NCO can play in inspiring young people to take music as far as they can; the NCO is there to help children fulfil their potential.

However, whilst over 1000 children each year audition for a place in the NCO from around the country, there are still some serious audition ‘holes’ in the UK where children are not being encouraged to try out playing in an orchestra. These holes, surprisingly, include places such as Suffolk, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, as well as Wales and the North East of England. With the creation of Music Hubs, organisations such as the NCO need to be collaborating with local authorities to improve the music education of children in these target areas and their involvement in national orchestras. Sarah believes that only through organisations and music hubs all working together can youth in the UK achieve their musical potential.

It is often discussed as to whether an amateur youth orchestra should be performing rather than professionals who, as the Musician’s Union highlight, should be performing in all concerts to help them earn their living. However, if we want our youth orchestras to have the same prominence as they do in South America, then we have to be ready to back them all the way through inception to success. We have started doing this with the National Youth Orchestra’s performance at the Proms, but there is a long way to go. As Rupert Christiansen says, ‘we must believe in our youth orchestras’, otherwise there is no hope for increasing music opportunities to children throughout the UK. Our children musicians are after all, this country’s musical future.

(NCO concert, courtesy of Bill Hiskett)

This latest video blog introduces the musical past of the young musicians, including the age at which they became involved in music and where they studied.

Keep up to date with news from the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel through Facebook, Twitter and regular posts on the regular WildKat PR website.

Classical:NEXT is a unique meeting dedicated to the classical music industry. It invites all sectors of the industry to meet and discuss their different approaches and skills. It offers an open platform for personnel to address different needs and wishes in their chosen sector.

In his speech, Daniel will discuss the various challenges facing the solo classical performer today and give a unique perspective on navigating the modern classical music world to achieve career success.

Classical:NEXT’s event is structured into a three-day exhibition, including trade fairs for companies and institutions, conferences featuring future-orientated advice and showcases that allow the attendees to experience many artists and projects in a short period of time.

For more information, visit the Classical:NEXT website.

For the latest news about Daniel Hope’s upcoming projects, visit his website.

As well as becoming a Vice Patron of the charity, future plans will see Guy travel to the Kampala Music School to perform concerts with past and present pupils, as well as giving classes to current students.

Friends of Kampala Music School is a charity that seeks to advance the musical education of some of the poorest children and young adults in Uganda, East Africa. In just ten years, Kampala Music School has changed the lives of many young and underprivileged Ugandans through giving them opportunities to learn music. To date, some 1,000 young people have passed ABRSM international exams, with several going on to win scholarships to higher education institutes, which in turn has given them the opportunity to embark on professional careers.

To buy tickets for this event, visit Cadogan Hall’s website.

For more information about Friends of Kampala Music School, visit their website.

Watch the video below to find out more about AC Academy and their work:

Keep up to date with news from AC Academy through their Facebook, Twitter and from regular posts on the WildKat PR blog.

Katherine is Principal Flute and currently a musician in residence with Royal Scottish National Orchestra, under the baton of Jac van Steen, who she performs with on the CD.

Katherine Bryan plays Flute Concertos by Christopher Rouse and Jacques Ibert can be purchased from iTunes and Amazon.

Keep up to date with news from Katherine through her Facebook, Twitter and regular posts of the WildKat PR blog.

Tune into Classic FM Drive from 5pm each day this week to hear tracks from Klara Min Plays Chopin Mazurkas.

Keep up to date with news from Klara through her Facebook and Twitter.

Join us at the Brompton Street store for an afternoon of virtuosic and stylish playing.

Watch the video below for an insight into Sunday’s performance: