National Open Youth Orchestra

National Open Youth Orchestra We are the world's first disabled-led national youth orchestra “We’re diverse. Leo

Certainly in terms of inclusivity - not just in terms of disability but also, we've got an incredible range of musical backgrounds." Oliver, harmonica

“I think NOYO is a pioneering orchestra, but I don't think it should be. So I think it does describe it at the moment, but hopefully it won't do in a long term.” Lizzie, violin

“I think creative is probably one of the really good words to describe

NOYO. We can experiment more whereas normally it’s just like, play the thing and make sure it's not wrong. Lots of the music we play, you wouldn't really get that in a stereotypical classical music concert. It brings a different kind of element of programming.” Holli, harpist

“I like the word influential because I hope we can maybe help other people, other groups to become more inclusive.”, Georgina, French horn

“We respect each other to be happy and work together to be supportive, to make it much more fun.”.

16/06/2026

Do you want to have a good time? Then come see NOYO's relaxed concert with members of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW)!

Listen to Holli (harp) and Pea (cor Anglais), and BBC NOW musicians Lenny (bass clarinet) and Anna (violin) tell you what to expect:

- Experience new instruments that you've never heard before
- Discover what the Clarion accessible instrument is
- Enjoy a massive variety of repertoire, including new co-commission with the BBC, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢: 𝘈 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, composed by Charlotte Harding.

Get your tickets to our concert in Cardiff on 30 July⤵️
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/national-open-youth-orchestra-with-bbc-national-orchestra-of-wales



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

‘The Young Person’s Guide is what first got me playing the oboe, so I love the moments where our version hearkens back t...
11/06/2026

‘The Young Person’s Guide is what first got me playing the oboe, so I love the moments where our version hearkens back to Britten’s." - Lilian (oboe).

Composed for NOYO, and commissioned by the BBC, we'll be performing 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢: 𝘈 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 G𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 in Cardiff and Bristol - don't miss it!

Discover the story behind Charlotte Harding's interpretation of Benjamin Britten's classic in BBC Music Magazine.

Read the BBC Music Magazine article: https://www.classical-music.com/bbc-proms/young-persons-guide-charlotte-harding

Cardiff tickets: https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/national-open-youth-orchestra-with-bbc-national-orchestra-of-wales
Bristol tickets: https://bristolbeacon.org/whats-on/bbc-proms-2026-relaxed-prom/



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

09/06/2026

Josh (violin) invites you to join him, and the other young musicians of NOYO, for our concert at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff on 30 July! Get your tickets ⤵️
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/national-open-youth-orchestra-with-bbc-national-orchestra-of-wales

We'll be joined by guest musicians from BBC National Orchestra of Wales, guest soloist Alessandro Vazzana - who plays the Clarion with head movement, and conductor Alice Farnham.

Our concerts are relaxed and accessible, and £6 tickets are available for disabled audience members.



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

03/06/2026

Come see Cass and NOYO in concert in Cardiff! ⤵️
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/national-open-youth-orchestra-with-bbc-national-orchestra-of-wales

After Cass's last video on adaptations, a few people asked how he taped his hands - so he filmed a quick tutorial!



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama , Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra , MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

19/05/2026

Come see Jess and the rest of the Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble at their end of year sharing event on 6th June!

As part of their 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴! performance, they'll be playing pieces like 𝘗𝘰𝘬𝘦́𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘺, a heroic adventure about saving your friends, and 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘦 about dancing with skeletons at midnight - a really spooky adventure. 🦴

Tickets are free, you can get yours and find out more here: https://bsolive.com/events/bournemouth-noyo-ensemble-adventure-awaits/

Video description: Jess talks to the camera about her experience of playing with Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble. While she talks, footage of a rehearsal plays.



The Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble is delivered in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Happy Mental Health Awareness Week! To celebrate, Bethan (flute, harp) explored some of the ways music can help boost yo...
11/05/2026

Happy Mental Health Awareness Week! To celebrate, Bethan (flute, harp) explored some of the ways music can help boost your mood! Swipe through to learn more 👉

For an extra dose of feel-good music, come and see NOYO in concert in Cardiff or Bristol. More information and tickets ⤵️
https://noyo.org.uk/bbcproms/ #:~:text=30th%20July%202026,Bristol%20ticket.



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

07/05/2026

You might have watched Cass' (viola) video where he talks about the Wicklebuckle. It got an awesome response from so many people, and Cass wanted to share another instrument adaptation he uses to play the viola!

Come see Cass and the rest of the National Open Youth Orchestra in concert this summer! Tickets to out BBC Prom in Bristol and performance in Cardiff are available now ⤵️
https://noyo.org.uk/bbcproms/ #:~:text=30th%20July%202026,Bristol%20ticket.

Video description: Cass talks to the camera and shows instrument adaptations he uses to play the viola. He then plays 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 by Béla Bartók.



NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

30/04/2026

Happy International Jazz Day from Bethan!

From pop tunes to video game soundtracks, in Regional NOYO Ensembles, we play all sorts of music. One jazz piece many NOYO musicians are playing this year is 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯' 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘦 by Lil Hardin Armstrong.

Here's Bethan playing some solo jazz harp for you to enjoy! 🎧



Video description: Bethan sits at their harp. They are wearing a white top and blue jeans. They introduce the video and then play Ten Past Two by Pearl Chertok.

NOYO is delivered in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, MAC Makes Music, Services For Education, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama - Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with B:Music and Barbican Centre as national partners.

28/04/2026

Say hi to James who plays the Clarion with the Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble, then meet the rest of the Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble in the new video on our YouTube channel! ⤵️
https://youtu.be/eQuJphitIPQ

The Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble is delivered in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.



Video description: James is a wheelchair user and wears a blue and white t-shirt and glasses. Notes on his Clarion are shown on a screen in front of him. He is filmed playing in a rehearsal room with other musicians playing acoustic instruments, including brass and strings.

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