NYOS Senior Orchestra Spring Concert 2022

Spring Concert 2022

Sunday 10 April, 7pm

New Auditorium, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Alice Farnham

Conductor

Aaron Akugbo

Trumpet

Welcome

The fantastically talented young players of NYOS Senior Orchestra take to the stage in a programme that spans almost 200 years of wonderful music. This year’s chamber-orchestra configuration will allow every musician to make a real impact on the sound of the orchestra and enjoy an intimate, conversational style of music-making, the perfect antidote to two years of Zoom rehearsals and solo recording sessions.

Mendelssohn’s much-loved concert overture The Hebrides opens the concert. With hundreds of recordings and innumerable performances, we will work on bringing a new perspective and energy to an instantly recognisable piece.

The brilliant young trumpet player Aaron Akugbo will join us as soloist in Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto; with its lighter late-eighteenth-century orchestration, we will be working on achieving a balance between soloist and orchestra, while ensuring even the ‘accompaniment’ sections are full of character.

The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No.8, his penultimate symphony and precursor to his monumental ‘Choral’ Symphony. This symphony is very different in tone to some of Beethoven’s more turbulent and grand symphonic statements, such as No.3 or No.5. It looks back with great humour and fun to the symphonies of Mozart and Haydn, but even though it might be lighter in tone, it takes a great deal of skill, and precision, to bring the piece to life. There can be no better way to celebrate the return of our musicians to the concert hall than its wonderfully definitive final bars.

Alice Farnham Conductor

Alice Farnham Conductor

Alice Farnham is listed in Classic FM Today,s Ten Best Women Conductors and the BBC Woman,s Hour Music Power List, and featured in the Mail on Sunday – 21 Extraordinary Women of 2021.

Recent engagements include concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia. She has been a guest conductor on productions at the Royal Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre, Calgary Opera, Folkoperan Stockholm, Wermland Opera Karlstad, Grange Park Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, and Teatru Manoel Valletta. Upcoming engagements include L’Elisir D’amore (Longborough Festival Opera) and a new opera by Conor Mitchell and the Belfast Ensemble. She has conducted opera productions at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. She was Music Director for award-winning productions at Welsh National Youth Opera and returns for Shostakovich’s Cheryomushki in 2022.

Alice has conducted much of the standard ballet repertoire with companies including the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Danish Royal Ballet and conducted Swan Lake at Opéra de Rouen in March 2022.

She is Artistic Director of the Women Conductors programme with the Royal Philharmonic Society and National Concert Hall Dublin Female Conductor Programme and is much sought after as a teacher. She was Organ Scholar at St Hugh,s College, Oxford University, and trained for three years with the legendary pedagogue Ilya Musin in St Petersburg.

Aaron Akugbo Trumpet

"It feels crazy to think that I first played the second movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto when I was around 8 (but couldn’t play any of the high notes!). It was also the first classical trumpet CD I ever had after I was given it by my trumpet teacher - John Wallace’s Classical Trumpet Concertos. Plus, it’s so exciting to be returning to NYOS after almost ten years. I had such a wonderful time performing within the orchestra and it’s a special moment to now be back performing a concerto."

Born in 1998 and of Nigerian-Scottish descent, Aaron Akugbo hails from Edinburgh and is poised as a future leading exponent of his instrument. He brings a wide-ranging musical taste to his artistry and, despite being classically trained, cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical inspiration. He is a charismatic performer with an abundance of natural humour which translates into an effortless engagement with audiences.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and an ex-principal of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Aaron can often be seen freelancing in the principal chairs of some of the most prestigious orchestras in the UK, including the Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras.

In 2020, as part of the London's Southbank Centre’s ‘Behind Closed Doors’ concert series, Aaron made his debut at the Royal Festival Hall playing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with Chineke!, Europe’s first Black and Minority Ethnic orchestra. His performance received glowing reviews, with the Arts Desk describing him as “a refined soloist… His sound was sweet, often lyrical… with perfect clarity and intonation”.

In early 2019, Aaron was a finalist in the “Girolamo Fantini” International Trumpet Competition whilst also being awarded the special prize for best performance of “Vulcano Club” by Piergiorgio Ratti. Aaron was subsequently invited by competition panellist and trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth to the Risør Kammermusikfest in Norway where he received masterclasses from Tine herself whilst also performing as a soloist.

Besides his solo and orchestral performances, Aaron is also a member of the inaugural Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition winning group, Connaught Brass.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Overture:

The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal’s Cave)

DURATION 10 minutes

YEAR OF COMPOSITION 1830

THE WORLD IN 1830...

Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar dies. One of the many ways he is commemorated is the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, which grew out of the pioneering El Sistema programme that provides musical training for underprivileged children and has inspired similar initiatives across the world.

Edwin Budding invents the first lawnmower.

FURTHER LISTENING

Mendelssohn – Overture to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Another remarkably descriptive overture (there’s no mistaking the entrance of the donkey), written when the composer was just 17 years old.

This short concert overture was inspired by Mendelssohn’s tour of Scotland in 1829, and specifically the eponymous cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides. Mendelssohn claimed that the opening theme arrived in his head as his boat approached the cave, and when listening it is easy to imagine the mists clearing and the gentle rocking of the waves. Mendelssohn captures the everchanging weather patterns of the west of Scotland oscillating between surging storms and serene stillness over the course of the short piece.

There is only one day of the year when the cave is fully illuminated by the sun, which must lie 5.6 degrees above the horizon to do so. This occurs on or around 16 December. Mendelssohn completed the first draft of this work on 16 December 1830, but nobody knows whether this was planned or just a strange coincidence.

By Jack Johnson (© NYOS, 2022)

KEY OF MUSICAL TERMS

Concert overture – a standalone piece, which does not precede a larger work in the way the overture to an opera does.

Joseph

Haydn (1732-1809)

Trumpet Concerto

DURATION 15 minutes

YEAR OF COMPOSITION 1796

THE WORLD IN 1796...

Jane Austen begins writing the first draft of Pride and Prejudice, under the working title First Impressions

George Washington stands down as the first US president, setting a precedent by not seeking a third term in office.

The trumpet, as we are familiar with it today, is a very different instrument to the one that was used in Haydn’s time. The absence of valves meant that the classical trumpeter was typically limited to around 10 notes across its range and was only capable of playing a full scale in its highest register. During the earlier baroque era, composers such as Bach and Handel wrote extremely complicated trumpet parts for virtuoso trumpet players who had mastered the art of ‘clarino’ playing, as it was known. By Haydn’s day this technique had become unfashionable, and most trumpet parts consisted of the basic arpeggios we associate with bugle playing today.

There was, however much experimentation during this time to create a truly chromatic trumpet, the most famous of which was the keyed trumpet, invented by the trumpeter of the Imperial Court Orchestra of Vienna, Anton Weidinger, who commissioned Haydn to write this concerto for his new invention.

The concerto follows the conventions of its time, with the orchestra, led by the violins, stating the opening theme, which would then be repeated by the soloist. The first audiences would not have imagined that a trumpet would be capable of playing this melody in full and Haydn plays with this expectation by allowing the soloist to join in the orchestral opening but only playing the notes that the audience would expect a natural trumpet to be able to. This

no doubt intensified the shock when the trumpet solo enters stating the melodic line in full.

Haydn revels in the possibilities of this new instrument, crafting a beautiful melody in the lyrical slow second movement before ending with a joyous final movement that combines the old and new, celebrating the innovative technical abilities of the instrument but throwing in the odd traditional fanfare motif almost as if to emphasise the radical step forward the concerto was taking, which might not be evident to our ears today.

By Jack Johnson (© NYOS, 2022)

KEY OF MUSICAL TERMS

Classical – a musical period that lasted from 1750 to 1820 (with the lines between baroque and romantic styles blurred at either end). It referenced a wider movement in the arts that looked back to the ideals of classical antiquity prioritising proportion and clarity of structure.

FURTHER LISTENING

Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No.2

The pinnacle of high, fast, baroque trumpet playing that had all but disappeared when Haydn wrote his concerto.

Prismes (No.40) by E.A. Seguy

First Violin

Beth Peat, Bearsden (Leader)

Ryan Chan, Glasgow

Emma Denny, Perth

Adam Gregory, Stirling

Ailsa Janzen, Ballachulish

Erin Jenkins, Glasgow

Millie McCallum, Fife

Martyn McLennan, St Andrews

Nikolina Partolina, Edinburgh

Bethany Woodburn, Dunfermline

Second Violin

Anna Brown Scott, Aberdeen

Rose Cannon, Edinburgh

Ava Gillan, Edinburgh

Emil Griffin, Edinburgh

Jennifer Huang, Edinburgh

Tajinder Kaur, Symington

Niamh Milne, Saltcoats

Lulu O,Neill, Edinburgh

Kevin Ren, Glasgow

Christine Sang, Edinburgh

Viola

Florence Arbuthnott, Laurencekirk

Alexandra Archibald, Edinburgh

Alistair Grant, Aberdeen

Niamh Kelly, Comrie

Ellen MacDonald, Inverurie

Ailsa Quantrill, Inverurie

Cello

Calum Campbell, Glasgow

Benjamin Clark, Cupar

Fergus Hamilton, Burntisland

Dòmhnall MacGriogair, Glasgow

Aaron Magill, Aberdeen

William Leask Maitland, Inverurie

Double Bass

Matthew Nowak, Stirling

Harriet Pybus, Dunfermline

Flute

Emma Phipps, Edinburgh

Kirsten Ross, Glasgow

Oboe

Rose Jamieson, Glasgow

Patrick Ridge, Edinburgh

Clarinet

Sasha Charter, Kilmacolm

Lucy Deng, Glasgow

Bassoon

Holly Helbert, Argyll

Laura Hubbard-Perez, Glasgow

French Horn

Andrew Armstrong, Cupar

Katherine Parker, Elgin

Ellie Wilson, Helensburgh

Trumpet

Andrew Dixon, Milngavie

Leo Storey, Glasgow

Timpani

Catriona Duncan, Edinburgh

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No.8 in F major, Op.93

Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony is sometimes seen as lightweight, lacking in depth, in danger of being dwarfed by Beethoven’s grander symphonic statements, such as the groundbreaking ‘Eroica’ (3) and ‘Choral’ (9) symphonies. Even Beethoven referred to it as his ‘little symphony in F’. The work is reminiscent in character of the earlier symphonies of Mozart and Haydn. This sense of ‘looking back’ might suggest that the work is quite traditional, however on closer inspection the symphony pushes boundaries and subverts expectations in typical Beethovenian style.

DURATION 26 minutes

YEAR OF COMPOSITION 1812

THE WORLD IN 1812...

The first volume of Grimms’ Fairy Tales is published in Germany.

The Kilmarnock and Troon Railway becomes the first public railway line to open in Scotland.

The work is bookended by these subversive quirks in form. The opening is sudden for a work in a classical style launching straight into the first theme with no introduction, not even an introductory chord. The climax of the finale is comically outsized, particularly for a so-called ‘little’ symphony, ending with an audacious number of repeated F major chords.

The central movements also break both with convention and with Beethoven’s previous symphonies. There is no slow movement, instead a brisk second movement with an unrelenting ticking motif in the woodwind parts that many listeners interpreted as a parody of the metronome. The third movement is in the style of a minuet, a traditional courtly dance, a form often used in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart but only this once in Beethoven’s symphonic output. This old style is invigorated by unpredictable

accents and shifts in volume. The third movement perhaps best encapsulates the symphony as a whole, a reference to the past enlivened by the unexpected.

By Jack Johnson (© NYOS, 2022)

FURTHER LISTENING

Haydn – Symphonies

Haydn elevated the symphony and moulded it into a form that captivated composers for the next 150 years. There are over 100 to choose from, many with nicknames including ‘The Clock’ (101), ‘The Surprise’ (94) and ‘The Farewell’ (45).

KEY OF MUSICAL TERMS

Metronome – a device that provides a steady pulse, often a ticking sound, to help a musician stay in time.

PLACES AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER 2022!

The summer school provides outstanding jazz tuition from a carefully selected team of renowned jazz musicians and educators from the UK and beyond, in breathtaking surroundings, on the Isle of Skye. The course is for instrumentalists and vocalists aged between 12 and 21.

Applications open from 19 April to 3 May. To find out more and to apply visit: nyos.co.uk/jazz/jazz-summer-school

YOUR COMFORT AND SAFETY

We are continually assessing the ongoing situation with Covid and monitoring guidance and safety recommendations to ensure that we are providing a safe environment for all participants. The wellbeing of our musicians, audiences and staff is our main priority, so please do get in touch should you have any questions regarding this.

Safety recommendations may include;

Government guidance and safety protocols may change over the coming weeks and months. We recommend that you check these on the Scottish Government website at www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19 before attending any live event.

STATUTORY FUNDING

Creative Scotland Regular Funding

Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative

SPONSORSHIP

John Lewis Partnership

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

A M Pilkington Charitable Trust

The AMW Charitable Trust

Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation

A Sinclair Henderson Trust

The Cruach Trust

Cruden Foundation

David and June Gordon Memorial Trust

The Dunclay Charitable Trust

Dundee Music Grants

Ecton Trust

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)

The Endowment Trust of the National Youth

Orchestras of Scotland

Ernest Cook Trust

Evelyn Drysdale Charitable Trust

The Forteviot Charitable Trust

The Gannochy Trust

Gibson Graham Charitable Trust

The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust

Hinshelwood Gibson Trust

Hugh Fraser Foundation

Jennie S Gordon Memorial Trust

Jimmie Cairncross Charitable Trust

John Mather Trust

J R Gibb Charitable Trust

The J T H Charitable Trust

The Leng Charitable Trust

Len Thomson Charitable Trust

The Leverhulme Trust

The Mackintosh Foundation

The Martin Charitable Trust

McGlashan Trust

The MEB Charitable Trust

Merchants House of Glasgow

Miss E C Hendry Trust

Misses Barrie Charitable Trust

Miss Jean R Stirrat’s Charitable Trust

Mr and Mrs J M B Charitable Trust

Nancie Massey Charitable Trust

Peter Coats’ Trust

P F Charitable Trust

Portrack Charitable Trust

Probus Club of Lomond

The Radcliffe Trust

R J Larg Family Trust

The Robertson Trust

Robertson Ness Trust

Ronald Miller Foundation

Samuel Gardner Memorial Trust

Scott Davidson Charitable Trust

Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association

The Sheila and Denis Cohen Charitable Trust

Sir Iain Stewart Foundation

The St Katharine’s Fund

Talteg Ltd

Tay Charitable Trust

Tillyloss Charitable Trust

The Turtleton Trust

W A Cargill Fund

Walter Craig Charitable Trust

The Zich Trust

CONDUCTORS’ CIRCLE

Ms Lindsay Pell and Professor Chris Morris

Professor Marjorie and Dr David Rycroft

NYOS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Principal Chair Sponsors

The Baron of Balvaird Principal Harp

Mrs A M Bennett Double Bass

Mr and Mrs Timothy Laing Piano/Celeste

Geoffrey and Jean Lord Percussion

Mr Michael J Pell Bassoon

Dr Myra Soutar French Horn

St Fillans Music Circle Viola

Chair Sponsors

Kirsty Adam Cello

Charles Arbuthnot

Lord and Lady Cameron of Lochbroom Violin

Colin E Christison Viola

Alan Davis Cello

Dr T and Mrs Y Fitzgerald Violin

Mr Andrew Hadden Violin

Mrs Iain Harrison Cello

Professor David Hamilton Lawson Oboe

Carolyn Lawson Timpani

Duncan and Sarah MacIntyre Violin

The Rt Hon Lord MacLean

Mr and Mrs Thomas McCreery

Mr Robin Pagett and Mrs Kate Longworth

Professor and Mrs Kenneth Paterson

In memory of Ian Robertson Bassoon

Mr and Mrs Mark Seymour

Maureen Simpson Cello

Dr C D and Mrs K A Sinclair

Mr A L Stewart French Horn

Lorna and Patrick Stewart Double Bass

Graham Taylor MBE Trombone

Peter Thierfeldt Double Bass

Mrs Ann Verney Cello

Mr and Mrs R M Williamson

Graeme and Ella Wilson

Dr and Mrs Paul Wilson

NYOS JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Chair Sponsors

Tim and Sally Barraclough Percussion

Theo and Noah Rossi Piano

NYOS JUNIOR ORCHESTRA

Leader Chair Sponsor

Alan and Jan Simpson

Principal Chair Sponsor

Dr Myra Soutar Second Violin

HONORARY CHAIR SPONSORS

In memory of Richard Chester MBE

Sarah Chester

We are incredibly grateful to all our Sponsors and Funders listed above for their continued support. NYOS also acknowledges those who wish to remain anonymous.

Professor and Mrs Andrew Bain

Sandra Bale

Mr Douglas Burke

Mr Graham Bygrave

Kevin and Linda Clarke

Dr Joseph Coleiro

Mrs R Coleman

Mr and Mrs Cooper

Mr and Mrs Morrison Dunbar

Mr and Mrs A Craig Duncan

The Countess of Elgin and Kincardine

Janey and Leslie Fleming

Mr Malcolm Fleming

Professor and Mrs Andrew Hamnett

Mr Patrick Harrison

Peter and Barbara-Ann Hawkey

Penelope Johnston

Mr Christopher Judson

Mr Andrew Keener

Mrs Mary K Lawson

Mr and Mrs Crawford Logan

Dr and Mrs Warren Luke

Professor M A Lumsden

Mr and Mrs R P Manson

Mr James McBeath

Mr George McCaig

Mr John McLeod

Mr and Mrs D McVicar

Mr and Mrs Neil G Meldrum

Mr Allan Murray

Mr David A J Noble

Mr Philip Oppenheim

Mr John B Park

Simon and Lesley Paterson

Mr and Mrs Alex Perry

Dr Stephen and Dr Alison Rawles

Alastair Rennie

Jennifer and David Rimer

Alan and Catriona Robertson

Mrs Kay Robertson

Mr and Mrs Ian M T Sandison

Angus Scott-Brown

Irene and Fred Shedden

Dr and Mrs Trust

George and Isobel Walker

The Hon Lord Weir

Mr Colin West

Elizabeth Wood

We are incredibly grateful to all our Friends and supporters listed for their continued support, and to those who wish to remain anonymous.

DONATE HERE

Please consider making a donation today so we can continue to support Scotland’s wonderful young musicians.

NYOS Staff, Board & Tutors

Course Staff

Helen Douthwaite Course Manager

Pete Deane Orchestra Logistics

Tutors

Justine Watts First Violin & Strings

Bernard Docherty Second Violin

Morag Robertson Viola

Jessica Kerr Cello

May Halyburton Double Bass

John Grant Flute & Woodwind

Jean Johnson Clarinet

Irena Kilmach Oboe

Rhiannon Carmichael Bassoon

Andrew Connell-Smith Trumpet & Brass

Hayley Tonner French Horn

Kate Openshaw Percussion

Pastoral Team

Yla Garvie Head

Robert Arthur

Lloyd Griffin

Heather Lynn

NYOS Board

Lindsay Pell Chair

Francis Cummings

Kate Miguda

Kenneth Osborne*

Oliver Searle

Emma Stevenson

Kirsteen Davidson Kelly

Office Staff

Kirsteen Davidson Kelly Chief Executive

Jacqueline Rossi Head of Development

Jack Johnson Development Manager

Anthony Coia Marketing & Communications Manager

Judith Archibald Head of Ensembles

Helen Douthwaite

Classical Ensembles Manager

Jill Dykes

Jazz Ensembles & Outreach Manager

Gaynor Gowman Ensembles Co-ordinator

Hayley Gough Administration Manager

Amy Cook Projects Assistant

Nicole Bull Finance Officer

Calendar of Upcoming Events

FRIDAY 15 APRIL, 7.30PM

NYOS Symphony Orchestra

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

T: 0131 228 1155

W: usherhall.co.uk

SATURDAY 16 APRIL, 7.30PM

NYOS Symphony Orchestra

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

T: 0141 353 8000

W: glasgowconcerthalls.com

SATURDAY 23 APRIL, 8PM

NYOS Futures (G-Jazz)

Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

T: 0141 352 4900

W: https://www.cca-glasgow.com

FRIDAY 8 JULY, 8PM

NYOS Jazz Orchestra

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye

T: 01471 844207

W: seall.co.uk

SATURDAY 9 JULY, 8PM

NYOS Jazz Orchestra

Nairn Community & Arts Centre

T: 01667 453476

W: nairncc.co.uk

SUNDAY 10 JULY, 8PM

NYOS Jazz Orchestra

Lemon Tree, Aberdeen

T: 01224 641122

W: aberdeenperformingarts.com

MONDAY 11 JULY, 8PM

NYOS Jazz Orchestra

Tolbooth, Stirling

T: 01786 274000

W: stirlingevents.org/tolbooth-event

FRIDAY 15 JULY, 6PM

NYOS Junior Orchestra

Perth Concert Hall

T: 01738 621031

W: horsecross.co.uk

FRIDAY 29 JULY, 7PM

NYOS Senior Orchestra

Ayr Town Hall

T: 01292 288235

W: thegaiety.co.uk

THURSDAY 4 AUGUST, 7.30PM

NYOS Symphony Orchestra

Music Hall, Aberdeen

T: 01224 641122

W: aberdeenperformingarts.com

FRIDAY 5 AUGUST, 7.30PM

NYOS Symphony Orchestra

Caird Hall, Dundee

T: 01382 434940

W: leisureandculturedundee.com

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