Feb 2016 – Jersey Youth Chamber Orchestra in Concert

Sunday 7th February 2016, 7pm, Jersey Arts Centre

This term’s Jersey Youth Chamber Orchestra project brought together forty of the island’s leading young musicians to perform an exciting programme of works at the Jersey Arts Centre, joined by the Singcredibles choir led by Maggie Picot and Hugh Lince.

Rehearsals begin in January, with the initial ‘read-through’ session bringing the orchestra together for the first time.

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The orchestra met again two weeks later for sectional rehearsals, giving everyone the opportunity to receive more intensive coaching on their parts.  The actual concert weekend then involved the conductor David Lawrence, and the final day’s rehearsal took place at the Jersey Arts Centre:

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The concert itself took place in front of a full audience, and the orchestra opened the concert with Schubert’s Overture in D Major D.566, a performance of great energy and vivacity, followed by Elgar’s Salut d’Amour which had some beautiful moments of string sonority.  The Sincredibles choir then took to the stage with a wide range of songs, many with a foot-tapping Gospel feel, and many featuring lovely solos from various choir members.  The orchestra then returned to the stage for their main work of the evening; Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.  The movements of this work each depict a different fairytale, and in particular the woodwind section had many stand-out moments with solos for most of the players (and a special mention in particular for the ‘Beast’ solo in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ performed on contrabassoon by Daniel Hayden!).

Following a short speech given by David Watkins, Chairman of the Strasser Jersey Foundation (who have financially supported the orchestra since its outset in 2012), the evening concluded with the joint choir and orchestra performing Wings, in a special arrangement written for the occasion by young composer Ruben Maric.  The whole project was a rousing success, and thoughts now turn towards the next project in October, which is based around World War One and will culminate in a concert at the Jersey Opera House on 22nd October 2016.

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