The National Youth Orchestra unites musical teenagers As One online and on-stage

The ambitious campaign celebrates the success of NYO Inspire over 10 years and the national impact of NYO

The National Youth Orchestra (NYO) is launching As One to connect young people across the UK by inspiring them to pick up an instrument and play music together. The ambitious project will be brought to life by NYO musicians at schools, music hubs and across social media. 

As One celebrates ten years of NYO Inspire, a programme that has provided musical opportunities to thousands of young people who face barriers to making music a bigger part of their lives. Participants from the programme will embark on a national school tour for the first time. 

In a groundbreaking moment and for the first time in their history, NYO will welcome aspiring musicians from across the UK to join them for their performance at this year’s BBC Proms [Saturday 10 August 2024]. 

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Over the last ten years, NYO Inspire has supported 5,000 young people to make music a bigger part of their lives. Last year, 82% of participants were state school educated and 41% were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse. Many musicians go on to secure a place in the Orchestra with programme alumni making up 39% of the current Orchestra. 

As part of As One, NYO will engage with music educators across the country to ensure every young person has the opportunity to play music together. They will work with local music hubs and schools to nominate teenagers to perform alongside NYO musicians at the BBC Proms. Members of the 160-person Orchestra will play their part sharing the joy of live performance at primary schools in their local community. 

Alongside on-the-ground engagements, the NYO community will take to social media to bring a specially composed melody to life. The melody of the summer will be composed by NYO Resident Artist, Dani Howard. The NYO musicians will share their interpretations of the As One melody across TikTok and Instagram and invite other young people to pick up an instrument and play along, in their own unique way. 

In a fitting finale to the summer of activity, The National Youth Orchestra will play at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 7 August, at Saffron Hall in Essex on 9 August and finally at the BBC Proms in London on 10 August. They will perform Wagner’s Overture to The Flying Dutchman, Missy Mazzoli’s Orpheus Undone and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Titan. 

At the BBC Proms, the musicians will perform the As One melody, which forms part of Dani Howard’s newly commissioned piece. This will give young people across the country the chance to witness the same melody they’ve been hearing throughout the summer, come alive at the hands of 250 musicians. 

Throughout the tour, they will be conducted by Alexandre Bloch. NYO Alumni, Tess Jackson, will conduct Dani Howard’s new piece at the BBC Proms. Tickets for the performances at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and Saffron Hall in Essex will be completely free for teenagers. This forms part of NYO’s key strategy to provide opportunities for young people to experience orchestral music together. 

Sarah Alexander OBE, CEO and Creative Director at NYO said: “Our community of teenage musicians is taking the lead by inspiring other young people to pick up an instrument and experience the joy of playing music together. They know firsthand about the benefits musical experiences can have on their wellbeing, so they’re taking it upon themselves to share this with other young people. The sight of 250 young musicians playing As One at the Proms highlights the need for young people to connect through profoundly positive experiences in orchestral music.” 

Brooke, Joint-Principal, Double Bass, The National Youth Orchestra, said: “I started my musical journey at my local music hub and my NYO journey with the Inspire programme, so I can’t wait to play in an orchestra that joins all this together. The idea of playing As One, is very much at the heart of what music is all about, and to be able to showcase that inclusivity and togetherness at the Proms is really exciting.” 

Lucy, Violin, NYO Associate, part of the Inspire Orchestra at the BBC Proms, said: “I’ve seen in myself that Inspire projects and being part of the NYO community really fuels you to want to develop as a musician. By playing my part, I can help widen musical opportunities for even more young musicians.” 

The charity provides thousands of teenagers with life-changing opportunities to develop confidence, optimism and key skills for life. As One comes at a difficult time for music education provision. 42% of schools in England no longer enter any pupils for Music GCSE, and the number of pupils opting to do Music at A-Level has fallen by 45% between 2010 and 2023.  

There has been a 15% decline in children learning an instrument and 80% of young people believe more should be done to get their generation into orchestral music. NYO’s work is crucial in providing young people with opportunities to develop their skills as a musician and to the future of music education in the UK. Over 50% of the musicians in the orchestra are state-educated, with musicians from every region in the UK represented. In 2023, NYO welcomed 10,000 teenagers into their community through musical performance and sharing. 

The National Youth Orchestra invites young people to play their part, to celebrate and share the joy of orchestral music, As One.