Wessex Youth Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Wessex
Youth Orchestra has been performing since 1971, and has performed three concerts per year in that time, mostly in the Wessex Hall at Poole's Lighthouse Centre for the Arts. The orchestra has also performed nationally and internationally in festivals, tours and exchanges, and has been broadcast by the BBC.
The WYO gives 3 main concerts a year - a Christmas show, a summer charity “Prom” (which has raised more than £35,000 for charities) and its main showcase performance – the Gala Concert, which is normally in March.
The orchestra started out life as the Poole College Orchestra, but the WYO now draws 60-70 young musicians from a wide range schools and colleges in the area. Its rehearsals continue to be held in St. Andrew's Hall, on the Constitution Hill site of the Bournemouth and Poole College
of Further Education.
The Orchestra has seen thousands of young musicians from across the south
go through its ranks and hundreds have graduated to join the ranks of professional musicians. Previous members are present in almost every major orchestra and Music Colleges across the United Kingdom
and much of Europe
. Former members include pianist Alison Farr, violinist Duncan Riddell, members of the Amici string quartet and BBC Young Musician winners.
The orchestra
has three main "feeder groups" the Starter Strings, Middle strings and Youth Fanfare.
The Orchestra was conducted from its foundation until 2007 by Don Riddell MBE
, BA
, BMus, LRAM
, LTCL who was awarded the MBE for services to the Wessex Youth Orchestra in the Christmas honours list 1999.. Don died in 2007, but the orchestra continues to be led by his daughter, Susanna Riddell.
Next Concert: Saturday 2 April 2011, 7:30, Poole Lighthouse. Programme to include Scherhezade and Night on a Bare Mountain
The next tour is currently being planned for 2012.
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
Youth Orchestra has been performing since 1971, and has performed three concerts per year in that time, mostly in the Wessex Hall at Poole's Lighthouse Centre for the Arts. The orchestra has also performed nationally and internationally in festivals, tours and exchanges, and has been broadcast by the BBC.
The WYO gives 3 main concerts a year - a Christmas show, a summer charity “Prom” (which has raised more than £35,000 for charities) and its main showcase performance – the Gala Concert, which is normally in March.
The orchestra started out life as the Poole College Orchestra, but the WYO now draws 60-70 young musicians from a wide range schools and colleges in the area. Its rehearsals continue to be held in St. Andrew's Hall, on the Constitution Hill site of the Bournemouth and Poole College
Bournemouth and Poole College
The Bournemouth and Poole College is a further education establishment based in Bournemouth and Poole on the south coast of England. It is one of the larger UK colleges catering for an average of 24,000 learners each year, and it is a member of the 157 Group of high performing schools.- Courses...
of Further Education.
The Orchestra has seen thousands of young musicians from across the south
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
go through its ranks and hundreds have graduated to join the ranks of professional musicians. Previous members are present in almost every major orchestra and Music Colleges across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and much of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Former members include pianist Alison Farr, violinist Duncan Riddell, members of the Amici string quartet and BBC Young Musician winners.
The orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
has three main "feeder groups" the Starter Strings, Middle strings and Youth Fanfare.
The Orchestra was conducted from its foundation until 2007 by Don Riddell MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, BMus, LRAM
LRAM
LRAM is an abbreviation for Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music. This professional diploma was formerly open to both internal students of the Royal Academy of Music and external candidates in voice, keyboard and orchestral instruments and guitar, as well as conducting and other musical...
, LTCL who was awarded the MBE for services to the Wessex Youth Orchestra in the Christmas honours list 1999.. Don died in 2007, but the orchestra continues to be led by his daughter, Susanna Riddell.
Next Concert: Saturday 2 April 2011, 7:30, Poole Lighthouse. Programme to include Scherhezade and Night on a Bare Mountain
Tours
The Orchestra is one of the few in the area to tour extensively within Europe. In the Orchestras 40 year history there have been a total of 14 tours within Europe. 12 Tours were under the Baton of Don Riddell before 1999. Between 1999 and 2009 there was a lull in the orchestras European excursions however in 2009 the Orchestra returned to the black forest under Susanna Riddell, this was followed in 2010 by a shorter tour to Cologne, where the Orchestra performed 3 concerts along the Rhine valley.The next tour is currently being planned for 2012.