We’re still reeling with excitement from our spring tour, To the Beat. Across iconic concert halls, bustling youth centres and unexpected pop-up performances, we connected with thousands of people in audiences across the UK.
Orchestra musicians and conductors, Paolo Bortolameolli and Alpesh Chauhan, took to the stage at London’s Roundhouse, Birmingham Town Hall, Sheffield City Hall and The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, as well as youth centres Wolverhampton and Wigan.
We teamed up with BBC Young Musician 2022, Jordan Ashman, who was once part of NYO. His performances on percussion were nothing short of electrifying, inspiring young musicians to push themselves to the next level in music and as role models for other young people.
To the Beat tour was all about music for young people, by young people. Over 1,300 teenagers experienced the power of orchestral music, performed by musicians their age. In Petrushka and West Side Story and through musical performance, they shared two powerful stories about young people who want to break free and be part of something bigger. The musicians experienced the electrifying connection between the Soloist and the Orchestra in Higdon’s Percussion Concerto. In youth centres, the Orchestra also performed familiar music from Wicked and Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder for an audience if teenagers new to orchestral music.
Musicians from the NYO Community took To the Beat way beyond concert halls. In Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester, they flooded schools, hospitals, museums, libraries, train stations and more unexpected places with the power of orchestral music.
Here’s are some of our favourite highlights…
Couldn’t join us in-person? Tune in to BBC Radio 3 on Monday 28 April at 7.30pm for the broadcast of our Manchester performance.
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