National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

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National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

NYOS Spring Concerts 2010

  

Tomorrow’s orchestral musicians will join todays best young jazz talent in Edinburgh and Glasgow this Spring.

The National Youth Orchestras of Scotland are delighted to present two of it’s young ensembles in a varied evening of classical music and free spirited jazz.  

The concerts, taking place at The Usher Hall, Edinburgh on 11 April and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 12 April, sees almost 150 of Scotland’s best young musicians take to the stage.

In the first half, Conductor John Grant, a former NYOS musician, leads The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland in a programme of challenging and varied music including Smetana’s Vlatava from Ma Vlast, Shotakovitch’s   and Tchaikovsky’s Finale from Symphony No 2.

John said of returning to NYOS: 

"It is a real pleasure and privilege to be returning to the concert platform with one of the NYOS orchestras after almost thirty years. Working with young musicians is always an energising and inspiring experience and this is especially true when the musicians are of the calibre of the NCOS.”

The ensemble will also perform Jacobi’s Introduction and Polonaise for Bassoon and Orchestra. For this piece, they will be joined by another former NYOS musician, Bassoonist, Karen Geoghegan.

Karen said or performing with NCOS:

“As a former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, I am of course extremely excited to be working with them again. NYOS gives such fantastic opportunities to young musicians, providing invaluable training for their futures, and I feel privileged to be asked back to perform with the Children's orchestra. The players are always so enthusiastic and there is always great energy in their performances.”

 

In the second half of the concert, Jazz Maestros Malcolm Edmonstone and Andrew Bain lead The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland in a swinging performance of Kenny Wheeler’s Sweet Time Suite.

 

Andrew Bain said:

 

“Since hearing it for the first time, Kenny Wheeler's ‘Sweet Time Suite’ has been one of my favourite pieces of music. Featuring some of the top British and American players, the music crossed the boundaries of what I believed jazz to be and challenged the listener at every turn. From beautiful chorales and catchy melodies to swinging soloists and enchanting harmonies, this suite encapsulates everything important to music with staying power.”

 

 Listings info

NYOS Spring Concerts 2010

With The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland and The National Youth JazzOrchestra of Scotland.

 

Sunday 11 April, 7pm

The Usher Hall

Box office: 0131 228 1155

 

Monday 12 April, 7pm

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Box Office: 0141 353 8000

 

Tickets: £10-£14, Half price conc (£2 Student/child)

 

John Grant

 Scottish conductor and flautist John Grant was brought up in Ayrshire and began his musical studies at the RSAMD in 1977 where his achievements included winning the Governor’s Recital Prize, The Chamber Music Prize and the Subject Prize for Flute.

 

Having already been a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, John continued to establish himself as an orchestral musician by becoming a founder member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland with whom he later appeared as a soloist. In 1981, he began his professional career, holding posts with the Hallé Orchestra, Scottish Opera and, from 1987 to 2000, the position of Principal Flautist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Following studies with Maestri Jorma Panula and Benjamin Zander, John now dedicates his working life to conducting and music education, giving him the opportunity to work with many orchestras and bands, including the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Caledonia and the West of Scotland Schools Concert Band, as well as creating many new performance opportunities for young musicians.

 

Karen Geoghegan

Karen Geoghegan began her studies at the Junior Academy of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with Janet Bloxwich. She is currently a fourth year undergraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music studying with John Orford. She was awarded a full entrance scholarship from the South Square Trust, the Leverhulme Foundation and the Elton John Scholarship Fund.  Karen was awarded the Violet M. Wallace Award and the Helen Read Prize, and won the Florence Woodbridge Prize for bassoon in 2008.

 

Karen is a founding member of the St James Quintet, current Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music, who won the 2009 Royal Overseas League Music chamber competition and recently gave their Purcell Room debut recital.

 

Karen was runner-up in the 2007 BBC 2 competition “Classical Star”. Since then she has made several recordings with Chandos Records of bassoon concertos and, most recently, French works for bassoon with pianist Philip Fisher.

 

She has worked as a soloist with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Orchestra of Opera North and the City of London Sinfonia. In recital, Karen has recently performed at the Wigmore Hall as part of the Royal Academy of Music's Wigmore Award, and was invited to give a recital as part of the International Double Reed Society's annual conference last year. 

 

In August 2009, Karen made her BBC Proms debut, performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda.

 

The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland

 

In 1996 NYOS formed The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland (NCOS), a symphony orchestra for young musicians aged 8 - 14.

 

NCOS’ inaugural public concert took place in 1997, when the artistic standard achieved and the attention received confirmed the future of this exciting project.

The National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland provides an important means of early musical education and performance experience for the young musicians of Scotland, fortunately assured through support from Standard Life.

 

Many of those involved in NCOS go on to become members of The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

 

Malcolm Edmonstone

 

“truly an astonishing musician” The Daily Telegraph

“combines a sensuous touch with Bach-like precision” The Guardian

 

Malcolm Edmonstone is a jazz pianist and arranger, born in Perth, Scotland in 1980. In 1998 he moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he is now Deputy Head of Jazz Studies. Having gained Bachelors and Masters degrees, Malcolm continues to forge a career as a modern musician, working as a pianist, educator, arranger and musical director in many high profile situations.

 

Whilst studying at GSMD, he was called on by Laurie Holloway to cover the piano chair on an international tour with his wife, the late jazz legend Marion Montgomery. Since then Malcolm has continued to work with Laurie on various projects, including the first three series of the BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing, where he played piano and arranged a significant portion of the music. During this time Malcolm was writing prolifically and having his arrangements performed live on television to audiences upwards of 10m.

 

At 21, he met Jacqui Dankworth and soon became her Musical Director. Together they have toured the world and been involved in numerous recording projects, including the albums Detour Ahead and Back to You. In 2009, Malcolm had the honour of working alongside the late Sir John Dankworth on an album with Jacqui. They worked together on the arrangements on what was sadly the last of many occasions in which Sir John mentored Malcolm’s development as a writer.

Malcolm works with some of the most original musicians in the UK. He is a member of Mike Walker’s Madhouse band, and has played with many of the UK’s leading jazz musicians, including Mark Lockheart, Stan Sulzmann and Iain Dixon. At the 19th meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz, Dave Liebman invited Malcolm to play with him in his only performance during that conference.

 

As a session musician, Malcolm’s extensive work ranges from recording for BBC Radio 3 with conductor Lorin Maazel to playing on live television with Tony Bennett. He has recorded extensively as a sideman in the jazz and commercial music worlds. He has twice been commissioned to compose new works by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, the second of which is featured on the disc Scotland Suite. His first album as a leader, featuring Mark Lockheart and Mike Walker, will be released in 2011.

Education has always been a large part of Malcolm’s life; in addition to five years as co-Director of NYJOS, during which time he has also been s a Professor at GSMD, he has held many visiting teaching positions, including stints at RAM, TCM, Middlesex University and Birmingham Conservatoire. He is often employed by ABRSM to work with classical peripatetic teachers exploring jazz music.

 

Andrew Bain

 

Andrew Bain was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 24th February 1979 and began studying percussion and drumset at the age of twelve. Equally talented in both disciplines, Andrew showed early progress in many classical and jazz ensembles including The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland. With these, and other ensembles, Andrew performed alongside Evelyn Glennie (1995), made several recordings, toured Europe and performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the BBC Proms.

 

In September 1997 Andrew moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, enrolling on a unique classical and jazz percussion Bachelor of Music programme. Whilst living in London, Andrew studied with percussionists David Corkhill, Mike Skinner and Richard Benjafield, and received jazz tuition from Trevor Tomkins, Martin France, Pete Churchill and Scott Stroman. Whilst at college Andrew performed Gil Evans’ Porgy and Bess with Randy Brecker at the Barbican Hall, London; Gil Evans’ Sketches of Spain with Dave Liebman, and alongside Billy Cobham. In 2000 Andrew’s own jazz group performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

 

Still active as a classical percussionist, Andrew reached the semi-finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 1998, the percussion finals of the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Percussion Scholarship 2000 and the final of the Yamaha Foundation of Europe Percussion Scholarship 2000. Andrew also performed at the BBC Proms 2000 with the Guildhall School of Music Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis and toured Portugal with the European Union Wind Ensemble in April 2000. He also performed in a number of musicals, pit bands, jazz clubs and recording sessions in and around London, including The Vortex Jazz Club and sessions for The London Film and Television School.

 

Andrew was awarded the BBC Big Band Drummer of the Year 2001. In August 2001 Andrew moved to New York to study for his Master of Music Degree at the Manhattan School of Music with the help of the Scottish International Education Trust (2001, 2002), the Musicians Benevolent Fund (2002) and the Countess of Munster Trust (2002). During his time at the Manhattan School of Music, Andrew performed alongside tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer with the Manhattan School of Music Concert Jazz Band (April 2002) and studied with drumset player John Riley, saxophonist/author Dave Liebman, composer/arranger Mike Abene and pianist/theorist Garry Dial. Coached by Cecil Bridgewater, Mark Soskin and Dave Lalama, Andrew also participated in masterclasses with Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, Jason Moran, Joey Barron, Greg Osby, Lewis Nash, Steve Nelson, Gary Bartz and Jamey Haddad.

 

From August 2002 until December 2003, Andrew was a Jazz History, Jazz Drumset, Jazz Combo and Jazz Theory teacher for the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division. Andrew graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in May 2003 with a Master of Music Degree and received the William H. Borden Award for 2003. It was given in the memory of Mr. Borden, who was a trustee of Manhattan School of Music for thirty years, ten of which he served as Chairman of the Board. His greatest affinity was for jazz, and this award is given for outstanding achievement in this discipline.

 

Since graduation Andrew continues to perform at the highest level as a performer, educator, composer and bandleader both in the US and the UK. Andrew co-leads the NY-based group Confluence whose eponymous debut showcased original and highly inventive compositions and featured Thelonious Monk Competition Winner Jon Irabagon. They recorded their second record Cosmos in September 2008.

 

In 2007 he was appointed instructor of jazz drumset at Birmingham Conservatoire and teaches at the Guildhall School of Music. He regularly performs with comedian/actor Steve Furst in London, teaches for the National Youth Jazz Collective and co-directs the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland.

 

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland

 

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland (NYJOS) was formed in 1992 to meet a growing demand for high quality jazz training for young musicians in Scotland. 

 

In the beginning the orchestra met on a regular basis for rehearsals and training weekends under the direction of various professional jazz musicians based in Scotland.

 

In 1996 NYJOS had its inaugural performance in the MacRobert Arts Centre in Stirling under the direction of Richard Michael.  Since then the orchestra has grown from strength to strength, performing in many high profile jazz venues including the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow and at the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival.  In 2000 a group of musicians from NYJOS were invited to perform with Jools Holland and his Big Band at a concert in Glasgow as part of Music Live.

 

In 2003 the running of NYJOS took a different format, and the orchestra began to run a series of residential courses throughout the year, some just training courses and some culminating in concert tours.

 

In 2006 jazz musicians Malcolm Edmonstone and Andrew Bain, took over as permanent Orchestra Directors and since then the ensemble has engaged in high profile tours with Jazz legends Jackie Dankworth and Mark Lockheart.

 

NYJOS has a policy of supporting and performing new works by Scottish composers has commissioned and performed new works from a large number of Scottish jazz musicians including Phil Bancroft, Bill Wells, Sophie Bancroft, Aidan O’Donnell and Malcolm Edmonstone. 

 

NYJOS has recorded and released two CDs Quiet Freedom (1999) and Scotland Suite (2006).

 

Membership of The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland is by annual audition.

 

For further information on concerts click the link below:

The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland

 

CD Release

A new Camerata Scotland CD has just been released, including Haydn's Symphony No. 104 'London' and Beethoven's Symphony No.8. The CD is available on www.nyos.co.uk or by contacting the NYOS office on Telephone:  0141 332 8311. 

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