Emerging Young Talent
The Bristol Ensemble is proud to support local young talent and showcases emerging soloists at its regular concert series at Henleaze where
the young musician performs a solo with the Bristol Ensemble in the concert.
One of the highlights of the year is the Bristol Ensemble Youth Orchestra course and concert. Young musicians from the Bristol area are
invited to take part in an intensive course over 2 ½ days and then perform at St Georges Bristol. Musicians from the Bristol Ensemble
tutor the participants during the short course and prepare them for the concert. On the concert day, the orchestra of young people is
enlarged as members of the Bristol Ensemble sit side by side with the youth orchestra to perform the programme.
The course is aimed at young people of Grade 6/7 and above, and is intended to bridge the gap between Saturday morning orchestras and
Conservatoire/University orchestras as the young people really get a feel for playing with professionals and the speed and standard that is expected of them.
In Oct 2008, the first youth orchestra course was held to the delight of both participants and tutors. After intensive rehearsal and
tutoring, the 28 young people came together with the Bristol Ensemble to perform Pirates of the Caribbean, Bruch's Violin Concert
(with young artist Emil Huckle as soloist) and Beethoven's 7th Symphony. The concert in St Georges was exceptional and it was a
great opportunity for such talented young musicians to work and perform alongside professional musicians.
October 2009 saw another BE Youth Orchestra course take place. This time, the programme was Bernstein's West Side Story Suite,
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (with young soloist Will Drackett) and Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. It raised over £12,000 for charity
and was, yet again, hailed as a great success. Watch this space for 2010…
PHOTOS OF YOUTH ORCHESTRA
2008 & 2009
