The CBSO Youth Orchestra in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England is an amateur symphony orchestra for young people managed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). The orchestra is based at

CBSO Centre The CBSO Centre is the administrative home and rehearsal centre of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Choruses (City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus and City of Birmin ...

but performs at Symphony Hall, Birmingham; membership is drawn from the entire

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

region.

History

The orchestra was founded in October 2004 as the successor to the Midland Youth Orchestra, an independent youth orchestra established by the then

CBSO The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

general manager Blyth Major and which operated from 1956 until being wound up in response to falling membership in summer 2004. The orchestra recruits young orchestral musicians in the 14-21 age range and performs two concerts annually under the direction of the CBSO's Music Director or one of the CBSO's regular guest conductors. These have included Andris Nelsons,

Edward Gardner Edward Gardner may refer to: * Edward W. Gardner (1867–1932), American balkline and straight rail billiards champion * Edward Joseph Gardner (1898–1950), U.S. Representative from Ohio * Ed Gardner (1901–1963), American actor, director and wr ...

, Sakari Oramo, Andrew Litton,

Jac van Steen Jac van Steen (born 1956 in Eindhoven) is a Dutch conductor. He studied music theory, as well as orchestral and choral conducting, at the . In the Netherlands, van Steen was conductor and music director of the Nijmegen Bach Choir from 1986 to 199 ...

Paul Daniel Paul Daniel (born 5 July 1958) is an English conductor. Biography Early life Daniel was born in Birmingham. As a boy, he sang in the choir of Coventry Cathedral, where he received musical training; then studied music at King's College, Cambri ...

Martyn Brabbins Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the euphonium, and then the trombone during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studied compositi ...

, Thomas Sondergard,

Alan Buribayev Alan Buribayev ( kz, Алан Бөрібаев, ''Alan Börıbaev''; surname also spelled Buribaev in English) (born 30 May 1979) is a Kazakh orchestral conductor. Career The son of a cellist/conductor father and a pianist mother, he studied v ...

, Alexander Vedernikov and Mike Seal. Soloists have included Alison Balsom,

Alina Pogostkina Alina Pogostkina (born 18 November 1983 in Leningrad) is a Russian-born German violinist. Early life and education Pogostkina is the daughter of two professional violinists. She began playing the violin at the age of four and quickly showed herse ...

, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet,

Christine Rice Christine Imogen Rice is an English operatic mezzo-soprano. She has performed across Europe at venues including the Royal Opera House, the Bavarian State Opera, the Frankurt Opera, the Teatro Real and the English National Opera. From 2004 to 20 ...

Katarina Karnéus Katarina Esmé Marie Karnéus (born 26 November 1965) is a Swedish mezzo-soprano opera singer, winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, active on many of the opera world's major stages such as the Metropolitan Opera and the P ...

Guy Johnston Guy Johnston (born 1981) is a British cellist and the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year award in 2000. He has subsequently enjoyed a successful international career as a soloist and chamber musician and currently serves as an Associat ...

Leon McCawley Leon McCawley (born 12 July 1973) is a British classical pianist. He studied with Heather Slade-Lipkin at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and with Eleanor Sokoloff at The Curtis Institute of Music in the United States, and latterly pi ...

, Chloë Hanslip,

Martin Roscoe Martin Roscoe (born 3 August 1952) is an English classical pianist. He performs as a concerto soloist, as a recitalist and as a chamber musician. Early life Martin Roscoe was born in Halton, Runcorn, Cheshire. He first became serious about mus ...

, Tasmin Little, Peter Donohoe and

Lore Lixenberg Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in Lau ...

. In line with CBSO programming policy, the Youth Orchestra has a policy of performing music that is outside of the standard repertoire, and often more ambitious than that usually associated with youth orchestras. This has included

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

's Eleventh Symphony,

John Foulds John Herbert Foulds (; 2 November 188025 April 1939) was an English cellist and composer of classical music. He was largely self-taught as a composer, and belongs among the figures of the English Musical Renaissance. A successful composer of li ...

' ''Le Cabaret'', Mahler's Seventh Symphony, Julian Anderson's Alhambra Fantasy, Ligeti's ''Concert Romanesc'',

Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

's Violin Concerto,

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

's ''Pulcinella'',

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

's Seven Early Songs and Jörg Widmann's ''Con brio''. In February 2007 it gave the world premiere of ''Streamlines'' by

Tansy Davies Tansy Davies (born 29 May 1973, Bristol) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. She won the BBC Young Composers' Competition in 1996 and has written works for ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Or ...

, a work commissioned by the Feeney Trust specifically for the CBSO Youth Orchestra. Subsequent commissions have included ''Più Mosso'' by

Luke Bedford Luke Bedford (born 25 April 1978) is a British composer. He studied composition with Edwin Roxburgh and Simon Bainbridge at the Royal College of Music, and won the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 2000. This was followed by post-graduate study with Sim ...

(premiered October 2009) and ''Leckey'' by Ben Foskett (premiered October 2011). New works from

Charlotte Bray Charlotte Bray (born 1982) is a British composer. She was championed by the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Sinfonietta and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, BBC Symphony Orchestra. Her music has been performed by many notable condu ...

and

Mark Anthony Turnage Mark-Anthony Turnage CBE (born 10 June 1960) is a British composer of classical music. Biography Turnage was born in Corringham, Essex. He began composing at age nine and at fourteen began studying at the junior section of the Royal College of M ...

are scheduled for February and November 2014 respectively. In September 2007 the CBSO Youth Orchestra launched a subsidiary chamber orchestra, the CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy, which performs annually under Mike Seal at

Birmingham Town Hall Birmingham Town Hall is a concert hall and venue for popular assemblies opened in 1834 and situated in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The hall underwent a major renovation between 2002 and 2007. It no ...

. Former members of the CBSO Youth Orchestra include David Taylor, Ben Gernon, Jamie Phillips and

Laura Mvula Laura Mvula ( Douglas; born 23 April 1986) is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In ...

CBSO Youth Chorus

The CBSO Youth Chorus, based in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is a youth choir which performs alone, or in association with the

. The CBSO Youth Chorus was formed in 1994 with the aim of providing the CBSO with a chorus for the many pieces of symphonic music that require young people's voices. Open to girls in school years 9 to 13, it is now established as one of the country's leading youth choruses, performing independently as well as with the CBSO and many other prestigious orchestras and choirs.CBSO Youth Chorus - City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The choir is based at the

. The choir toured Sweden in May 2007, performing in two concerts in the Gothenburg Concert Hall. The Chorus Director is

Simon Halsey Simon Halsey, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 8 March 1958) is an English choral conductor. He is the chorus director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (CBSO Chorus), a position he has held since 1983, and has bee ...

and the conductor is Julian Wilkins. The accompanist is James Keefe.

CBSO Young Voices

The CBSO Young Voices was a choir for young people, based in

. It was one of the members of the family of CBSO Choruses. Formed in 1999 as a partnership between the CBSO and Birmingham Music Service, Young Voices was based at the

, just off Broad Street. The chorus performed in many venues, including

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, Symphony Hall, The

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre ( cy, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 an ...

, and

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. The choir was disbanded in the mid-2010s.

References

External links

Official siteThe website of the former Midland Youth OrchestraBBC Radio 3 ''Performance on 3'' broadcast of the CBSO Youth Orchestra, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cbso Youth Orchestra Musical groups established in 2004 English youth orchestras Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands 2004 establishments in England

History

CBSO Youth Chorus

CBSO Young Voices

See also

References

External links