Lockdown won’t stop music for Ulster Youth Orchestra

When it became apparent in March that the orchestra’s annual residential course and concerts were not going to be possible due to Covid-19 restrictions, the board and management decided to organise a 10-day online course.

Very soon, one residential course and two public concerts were replaced with over 50 online musical activities and 14 recordings.

By the beginning of the project on August 16, 70 young musicians, aged between 14 and 23, had signed up for the first virtual course in 27 years of the Ulster Youth Orchestra’s history.

A highly experienced team of 12 professional tutors and eight young professional assistant tutors delivered a mixture of interactive rehearsals, classes and talks on a wide range of topics. In the evenings the orchestra relaxed with the entertainments team who kept them laughing with quizzes, a pizza night and even a game of bingo.

The highlight of the course was the appearance of Daniele Rustioni, well known as the Ulster Orchestra’s chief conductor, who directed and encouraged the young musicians in the Tchaikovsky piece, recorded separately and stitched together by producer Tom Wall from TWPost.

Paula Klein, UYO general manager, said: “I am so proud of what everyone has achieved – the professionals and the students entered into this project with an open mind and great enthusiasm and the success of the course and the recordings has exceeded our expectations.”

One student who took part in the online activities said:“I really didn’t know what to expect - but it surpassed all expectations! It was the real sense of togetherness that you managed to achieve online that amazed me.”

Another said: “The Ulster Youth Orchestra has turned my quarantine from foe to friend!”

The Ulster Youth Orchestra was established in 1993 and is regarded as one of the jewels in the crown of the local arts scene with a reputation for excellence in all its activities and performances.

Over the years, hundreds of young musicians have had the opportunity to study with international conductors, such as Vasily Petrenko, En Shao, Takuo Yuasa, and some of the finest professional musicians and many alumni have gone on to pursue highly successful music careers.

All of the young musicians’ recordings can be found on the Ulster Youth Orchestra’s YouTube channel, website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.