Welcome to the YMP Newsletter!

2011-12 has been packed with many exciting opportunities for our young people – our Quay Choirs in the Christmas Concerts and in their own concert at St Thomas’ Haymarket, lots in the Gateshead International Jazz Festival including Sharkestra with Weekend School and BMus students working with Chris Sharkey, Weekend School Activity Days and workshops with a wide of inspirational visiting artists, Folkestra performing at Celtic Connections, Young Sinfonia’s residency in Berwick and the National Youth Orchestra performing in concert, accompanied by our own Folk Explosion Day.

There’s plenty to come and we are delighted to make two announcements: Quay Voices have been asked to join just four other choirs in a BBC Prom this year and Folkestra are performing with Kathryn Tickell in Trafalgar Square in July as part of the BT River of Music Festival. Keep an eye on Twitter for updates!

As ever, we want to hear from you so please drop us a note with suggestions, thoughts, issues and queries. We love hearing from you and do everything we can to give you the service you want.

Looking forward to an amazing summer.

Edward Milner

Head of Young Musicians Programme

Coming up
Please keep an eye on the YMP Twitter or The Sage Gateshead website for more upcoming YMP events.

YMP 2012-13 Applications deadline - Friday 4th May
Please visit our website to apply for all our programmes.

King's School Tynemouth Performance - Friday 4th May
A great concert of instrumental and vocal music performed by young musicians from Weekend School and The King’s School, Tynemouth. Tickets available from the school -  0191 258 5995.

YMP Summer Festival – Sunday 15th July
Celebrating the wealth of talent from across YMP and culminating in a Young Musicians Celebration Concert, showcasing our very best quality young musicians.

News

¡VAMOS!
Our young people are going to be involved in the ¡VAMOS! Festival this year, with Brassy B performing at a picnic at Summerhill Square on Friday 15th June and a north east steel pan festival and mass Cuban percussion explosion (involving many of our percussion groups in Performance Square to the west of our building on Sunday 1st July. Check out the brochure here.

The Big Concert – Scotland’s Midsummer Music Spectacular
On Thursday 21st June 2012, the world famous and exhilarating Gustav Dudamel and The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela will perform outdoors at Raploch, Stirling in the shadow of the castle, and we have two tickets to give away! The tickets are for one YMP student and one adult, so please write us an email if interested and we will pick them out of a hat on 18th May 2012.  Read More

BT River of Music: JigHop
We are delighted to announce that we have been commissioned by Serious to create a work for the BT River of Music Festival. The festival is part of the Cultural Olympiad and is happening on six stages across London on the weekend of 21st – 22ndJuly 2012. The work is being created by Kathryn Tickell and other North East artists and Folkestra will be central to the piece. There will be two performances: one at the Olympic Torch Relay in Newcastle on 15th June and the other in Trafalgar Square to 10,000 people on Sunday 22nd July. Check out our page for details - hope to see you there!

Quay Voices at the BBC Proms - Monday 1st August
Quay Voices have been asked to perform in a BBC Prom on Wednesday 1st August at The Royal Albert Hall. One of only five youth choirs to be chosen from across the UK, will perform Sir Michael Tippet’s ‘A Child of Our Time’ with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by their Principal Guest Conductor, David Robertson. Read More

ABRSM Performance Results
We are delighted that our YMP students have achieved exemplary results in our recent ABRSM Performance exams with eight applicants getting seven distinctions. Special congratulations to Fiona Aspray (Grade 2 Oboe), Imogen Creedy (Grade 5 Singing) and Lucy Walker (Grade 8 Clarinet) who all achieved the mark 141, but congratulations to everyone.

Great Resources for Young Performers
Check out the Department for Education Music and Dance Scheme Foundations for Excellence website for great resources and plenty of advice and guidance for young musicians and performers. Take a look as it’s all free! Read More

YMP on The Sage Gateshead Blog!

The Sage Gateshead website has a new blog and YMP tutors and participants are playing a key part in writing about musical life as participants and tutors! Below are some great new stories that you can read in full on the website - just click the links. And if you have a story to tell, a review of a recent performance or just your take on the YMP experience, get in touch and you might see your own article up here next time.

The Young Sinfonia Shines in Berwick-upon-Tweed
A great account of the recent residency at The Maltings from Chloe Brooks.

The town of Berwick on Tweed recently was invaded by some young musicians! They welcomed us for four days as we explored, rehearsed and performed for them. A lovely, welcoming youth hostel with a great staff made sure we were well cared for. We were there to rehearse for our concert tour at three different, exciting venues..... Read More

Folkestra at Celtic Connections

Matthew Jordan spills the beans on Folkestra's adventures at Celtic Connections earlier this year.

In October 2011, Folkestra found out that we would be taking part in Celtic Connections in January 2012, going up to Glasgow for a weekend. After three months of looking forward in anticipation, we wondered if the event was going to live up to our expectations. The short answer is no. It far surpassed them!!.....Read More

Young Musicians Programme - concert review
Words from the YMP team about a recent concert of classical singing 

It has been a busy few weeks for three of our classical singers from the Young Musicians Programme. Clare Tunney, Sarah Ryan and Charlotte Heslop all took part in a prestigious concert of singing at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle on Saturday 17th March.....Read More