Young people desperately need ‘first-class performance opportunities, where they can take on bigger musical challenges alongside peers who are as good or better than they are’.
That's what Sarah Alexander, chief executive of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, wrote in The Independent four years ago. She stressed it is increasingly difficult, due to financial pressures on local authorities among other things, for youngsters to play in a youth orchestra, causing many ensembles to become endangered species.
Things are different in south-west London, however, where Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra (SYO) is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary, busily planning anniversary concerts in Cadogan Hall in March and at Queen Elizabeth Hall in June.
The present music director is Robert Hodge, who conducts the main orchestra and who believes that there is ‘something very special about Stoneleigh which gets into your bloodstream and becomes a way of life’. He is assisted by Dan Shilliday who looks after the training orchestra and leads string sectionals with the main orchestra.
‘For entry to the main orchestra, we seek players who have Grade 7 or above,’ says Hodge. ‘With the training orchestra, they should have achieved Grade 4 to 6. Occasionally we get someone who did not do grades – sometimes rather refreshing.’
There are times when exceptional performers show up: ‘If a nine-year-old comes along having passed Grade 8, then we feel it is socially better for them to go into the training orchestra rather than play and socialise with 15- or 16-year-olds.’
Commitment
The orchestra was founded in 1944 at Stoneleigh, near Epsom, though since 2003, it has been based in Wimbledon. In all, there are more than 160 players aged between eight and 18 and rehearsals take place on Sunday afternoons during school term.
‘At audition, we look for a willingness to commit to rehearsals and concerts,’ says Hodge, ‘as well as auditioning to a standard that works. Over the year, we look for a 90% attendance.’
There is also a keenness to encourage collective music-making. ‘If we already have five flutes, we won't turn a sixth away,’ notes Hodge who was, himself, a player in a youth orchestra. He hails from Tenby in west Wales and played in the Pembrokeshire Youth Orchestra as well as the European Union Youth Orchestra. He has also conducted orchestras in, among other places, Oxford, Cambridge and Malta, and is director of music for the London Junior region of the National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain and works at the Royal College of Music Junior Department, where he conducts the Sinfonia.
So what makes SYO special? ‘In many ways, it's nothing to do with the music or the children,’ says Hodge, ‘but the fact it is run by parent volunteers and there are no paid members of staff, other than myself and my assistant. What is especially illuminating is that parents of children no longer in the orchestra stay on to help: the present chairman and vice-chairman are prime examples. That makes the whole operation very intimate and caring. It's not driven by profit and there are no big egos involved. It's incredible that an orchestra which embraces that sort of ethos has survived for as long as it has.
‘We also have enough players to make special occasions happen,’ he adds. ‘We will be doing Mahler Five at Christmas and we've done Mahler One. It is particularly special for a youth orchestra to be able to perform works of that scale. And, because orchestra members all go to different schools, there's a chance to socialise with new friends during rehearsals. We're also frequently asked about the possibilities of a musical career and requirements for university entry – so it's a lot more than just making music.’
The process
The whole orchestra is re-auditioned each year – that's upwards of 150 individual performances – and up to 60 additional auditions take place during the orchestra's year. Those attending audition must play two contrasting pieces and there may be some sight-reading required.
‘Anyone who wants to audition can come along at any time and we will rarely say no,’ notes Hodge. Financial assistance towards cost of membership is also available and no musically eligible person will be turned away on financial grounds. Three concerts are given in the UK annually with a three-concert tour taking place each July. This year, SYO is visiting Spain, having previously toured to Prague, Provence, Malta, Slovenia, Italy and many other parts.
‘It's not long before the next round of auditions, which will take us into the 75th anniversary season,’ says Hodge. ‘It's an exciting time in the orchestra's history and we are well into planning the next year.’
