Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has appointed two young musicians as its first BSO Young Associates.
The positions were given to Sehyogue Aulakh, a percussionist from Devon who is completing her studies at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and Lila Bhattacherjee, a London-born flautist and postgraduate student from RWCMD.
Aulakh said: ‘I feel lucky to have been exposed to a rich mix of music whilst growing up, thanks to Plymouth Music Zone, which helped me develop an interest in orchestral music alongside my love of North Indian classical music. I’m really looking forward to exploring how music can have a positive impact on people’s lives, whilst developing my tool kit as a musician.’
Bhattacherjee said: ‘Since discovering the world of community music through my first graduate job, I’ve developed a deep interest and appreciation for the field. I can’t wait to develop my skills as a facilitator further and connect musically and socially with people across the South West as a BSO Young Associate.’
Bea Hankey, head of BSO Participate, said: ‘We’re proud that coming out of the pandemic — at a time when the empowering impact of music has never been needed more — the BSO has been able to create these opportunities for the next generation of community music leaders.
‘We’re grateful to our loyal philanthropic community, who helped fund the programme through the Big Give campaign, and for additional support from Allianz Musical Insurance. I know that Sehyogue and Lila will bring a fresh insight and energy to the brilliant work of BSO Participate — we can’t wait to begin.’
The BSO Young Associates programme was launched at the start of 2022. It aims to increase diversity and opportunity within the classical music sector.
