Braimah Kanneh-Mason joins Nottingham Youth Orchestra to celebrate 40 years
Nottingham Youth Orchestra is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a landmark concert featuring violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason and conductor James Lowe at The Royal Concert Hall.
The event will honour four decades of inspiring young musicians and shaping the musical life of the region, with all three of orchestras and the jazz orchestra involved.
Since its founding in 1985, Nottingham Youth Orchestra (NYO) has grown into one of the UK’s leading youth music organisations, now bringing together almost 200 young musicians aged eight to 19 from across Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.
Over the past 40 years, thousands of players have passed through its ranks, going on to careers in music and a wide range of other professions, united by the shared experience of performing at the highest level for young people.
This anniversary concert is both a celebration of NYO’s present-day musicians and a tribute to everyone who has been part of its journey.
Reflecting the themes of growth, discovery and new beginnings, the programme spans classical masterworks, folk traditions, pop hits and twentieth-century orchestral classics.
From Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to Taylor Swift and Adele, the repertoire celebrates the diverse musical influences that accompany young people through different stages of life, while works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Robert W Smith and Sergei Prokofiev showcase the ambition, curiosity and creativity that continue to define NYO in its 40th anniversary year.
In addition, there will be engaging popular music performances from the vibrant Nottingham Youth Jazz Orchestra before and during the concert.
Flynn Le Brocq, NYO chair of trustees, said: “As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, this concert represents everything NYO stands for — ambition, community, and a love of music-making at the highest level. It is a joy to see our current musicians take to the stage in such an important milestone year.”
NYO is also using this anniversary year as an opportunity to reunite its wider community and is issuing a special call to all alumni.
Former members are warmly invited to get in touch, share their memories, and reconnect with the organisation as it celebrates four decades of music-making.
The concert is on Saturday, November 28.
Visit trch.co.uk or call 0115 9895555 to book.