Somerset County Youth Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Somerset County Youth Orchestra is a music ensemble from Somerset
, England. It was founded to offer high quality orchestral playing to younger people who live in Somerset, and is open to anyone resident or attending school in the county, of Grade V ABRSM standard, or equivalent, and above. It numbers about 60 players, the majority of whom are between 13 and 23 in age. The orchestra is run under the auspices of Somerset Music at County Hall.
Founded in 1973, the orchestra has performed with many people including Julian Lloyd Webber
, Meredith Davies
, Sir Charles Groves
and Sir Neville Marriner
. It has given concerts in prestigious locations, among them Old Town Square in Prague
, La Madeleine
in Paris
, and the Leonardo
museum in Vinci
. In July 1998 it was the first orchestra to play in the European Parliament
in Brussels
.
There are two non-residential music courses a year in Somerset, during academic holidays at Christmas
and Easter
, each followed by a concert. The summer course incorporates a residential tour, usually abroad, which gives the members opportunity to play, sample other cultures and further their personal development.
The current conductor is Andy Sherwood.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It was founded to offer high quality orchestral playing to younger people who live in Somerset, and is open to anyone resident or attending school in the county, of Grade V ABRSM standard, or equivalent, and above. It numbers about 60 players, the majority of whom are between 13 and 23 in age. The orchestra is run under the auspices of Somerset Music at County Hall.
Founded in 1973, the orchestra has performed with many people including Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
, Meredith Davies
Meredith Davies (conductor)
Meredith Davies CBE was a British conductor, renowned for his advocacy of English music by composers such as Benjamin Britten, Frederick Delius and Ralph Vaughan Williams....
, Sir Charles Groves
Charles Groves
Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors....
and Sir Neville Marriner
Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner is an English conductor and violinist.-Biography:Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the...
. It has given concerts in prestigious locations, among them Old Town Square in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, La Madeleine
Église de la Madeleine
L'église de la Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church occupying a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and the Leonardo
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
museum in Vinci
Vinci, Italy
Vinci is a town and comune of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany. The birthplace of Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci lies just outside the town.-Geography:The town is surrounded by the Tuscan Hills...
. In July 1998 it was the first orchestra to play in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
There are two non-residential music courses a year in Somerset, during academic holidays at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, each followed by a concert. The summer course incorporates a residential tour, usually abroad, which gives the members opportunity to play, sample other cultures and further their personal development.
The current conductor is Andy Sherwood.