London Youth String Orchestras and London Children's String Orchestra

18/09/2026

Our next LYSO & LCSO course takes place on 24th–25th October at St John’s Church, Friern Barnet.

Applications are now open for young string players.

Application form in the link in bio.

19/01/2025

Join us for the London Youth String Orchestra and London Children’s String Orchestra course on 15th & 16th February 2025 at St Paul’s School, Hammersmith. Whether you’re an advanced player, trying your first ensemble experience, or somewhere in between, there’s an orchestra for you!

✨ Orchestra Breakdown:
🎼 LYSO: Diploma standard+ (up to age 23) – Audition required
🎼 LCSO Main Orchestra: Grades 6/7 to diploma, under 16 – No audition
🎼 LCSO Training Orchestra: Grades 3–6, under 12 – No audition
🎼 Beginner Strings: Grade 2 and below – No audition

📅 Timings:
Check the full schedule on the poster or our website.
💰 Fees: Starting at just £40, with sibling discounts available and just £20 for conservatoire students

🔗 **Applications are now open!** Sign up at www.londonyouthstringorchestras.org

London Youth String Orchestra and London Children's String Orchestra is made up of four orchestras for string players of a range of standard and ages. We run fun and inspiring intensive 2 day courses. Find out when our next course is.

31/12/2024

Many congratulations to our friend and colleague, Alison Kay for the recognition of her fantastic work with Poole Society for Young Musician.

We started a scheme with Poole’s wonderful hub for young musicians in Dorset last year and have been lucky to have some of its musicians join us for courses in London. We can’t wait to continue to build a relationship with Poole Society for Young Musicians for many years to come.

We have the most exciting and happy news for the New Year, our founder and artistic director, Alison Kay, receives the British Empire Medal in the King's New Year honours list for her services to the Arts and to young people.

I am sure you will join with us to offer many congratulations to Alison for this well-deserved recognition. As many of you know, teaching and inspiring young people to play is a huge passion of hers and it is entirely fitting that her dedication to this musical mission and young people has been recognised.

Alison is surprised and delighted to be honoured in this way but, as ever her thoughts are to all those people who have been involved; she has this to say :-

"I am deeply proud of this special community and this award is received in recognition of everyone who has played a part in supporting our young musicians, over the years."

Please see our website for more information and the press release https://broadstonemusicseries.info/welcome/alison-kay/

25/12/2024

🎄✨ Merry Christmas from the London Youth String Orchestras!✨🎄 This holiday season, we are delighted to share a clip of the Welsh lullaby Suo Gân by our London Children’s String Orchestra Main Orchestra. 🌟 From all of us at LYSO & LCSO, thank you for your support throughout the year. Here's to the universal language of music bringing peace, joy, and harmony to all this festive season. We wish you a magical Christmas and a harmonious New Year!

25/10/2024

The final soloists to introduce who will be peer at our concert this weekend is cellist Theo Bently Curtin. Find out more more about Theo below 👇

Theo Bently Curtin is in demand as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player in London and across the UK including recent freelance engagements with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé and Glyndebourne’s “Pit Perfect” graduate scheme 2023. Theo grew up in Totnes, South Devon. He was awarded a specialist place at Wells Cathedral School, where he subsequently won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music graduating in 2022 with first class honours. He has been featured on BBC Radio 3 as part of the Royal Academy of Music’s 200Pieces bicentenary celebrations and won the Academy’s Mukle/Cameron cello prize in 2021. He currently studies at Guildhall school of music and drama on the Orchestral Artistry Masters with the LSO studying with Rebecca Gilliver. He is indebted to the generous support of the Loan Fund for Musical Instruments, the Abbado Trust for Young Musicians and the Dulce Haigh Marshall Trust, who made possible the outright purchase of his cello made by Harry Strong.

No tickets required! Come and hear Theo play Haydn Cello Concerto this Sunday 27th October at United Reformed Church, Palmers Green at 6pm.

25/10/2024

Our second soloist to introduce is Olivia Trezise find out more about her below 👇

Olivia Trezise has just began her undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where she studies with renowned professor, Yair Kless. Previously, she studied at Junior Guildhall with Ruth Hahn and the Royal Academy of Music, primary department. She recently made her European debut in Brussels, Belgium as a concerto soloist with the Hills Road chamber orchestra as well as being a chosen participant of the 2024 International Mendelssohn Festival summer school in Hamburg, Germany. She has performed several high-profile public solo concerts including a solo recital at Madingley Hall, Cambridge, for renowned travel company ACE Cultural Tours as a featured young artist (2022), a recital for the official opening ceremony of the Benslow Instrument Loan scheme (2021) and as a concerto soloist with the Haydn Collective Orchestra, Salisbury (2019). Olivia was awarded 1st prize in recital and concerto categories in the Bedfordshire Festival and 1st prize in the Hills Road concerto competition.

No tickets required! Come and hear Livvy play Ladies in Lavender from Nigel Hess’s stunning film score this Sunday 27th October at United Reformed Church, Palmers Green at 6pm.

25/10/2024

LYSO is performing an exciting programme this weekend with three immensely talented young soloists Harry, Livvy and Theo. Meet our first soloist Harry Kneeshaw and find out more about him below 👇

Harry Kneeshaw is a 23 year-old violinist from Beverley, East Yorkshire currently studying as a postgraduate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno. In 2024, Harry has led the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra Guildhall at the Barbican Centre under Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas, he has given a recital at the Kings Lynn Festival and has been awarded a Countess of Munster Award for his studies for 2024/25. He was the winner of the Strings and Piano Duo Prize at the Royal Academy of Music as well as the Max and Peggy Morgan Concerto Competition at Guildhall. As an orchestral musician, Harry plays regularly with Sinfonia of London and has worked with conductors such as John Wilson, Semyon Bychkov and Sir Simon Rattle. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Adrian Brendel, Tim Ridout, Lars Anders Tomter and Elena Urioste.

No tickets required! Come and hear Harry play Oliver Davis Violin Concerto ‘Flight’ this Sunday 27th October at United Reformed Church, Palmers Green at 6pm.

29/09/2024

Sign up now for the next LYSO & LCSO weekend 26-27th October!

Come and play with one of our 4 orchestras for string players aged 5-24. Sign up now on our website linked above ⬆️