This year I was fortunate enough to gain a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) – an orchestra of young musicians up to the age of 18 from all across the country who are bound together by our love for orchestral music and a desire to open up orchestral music to other young musicians. 

The orchestra organises residencies across the year and I was lucky enough to be in the final residency in the summer which ended with the NYO performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the Proms. We performed Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs featuring South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Hindemith’s Metamorphosis and Copland’s 3rd Symphony. We had an audience of over 8,000 at the Royal Albert Hall as well as the performance being broadcast live on television and radio. This was an experience I will never forget and I have made many lifelong friends along the way! 

Eli, Upper V