On Sunday 24th May, a group of nearly twenty NYJO musicians from both our Under 18s and Emerging Professional programmes headed to Brockwell park in Herne Hill to perform at Cross The Tracks Festival! Whilst NJYO musicians are used to regularly playing on stages, this was different… Led by one of NYJO’s brilliant Resident MDs, Vij Prakash, the ensemble performed at various points around the festival site throughout the day. They started off at the main entrance and ended the day beneath the iconic Cross the Tracks sign.
This project was inspired by the Second Line tradition, which is processional music involving horns, trombones, saxophones, percussion and, in this case, a sousaphone with NYJO gaffer taped to its bell! It is all about generating the atmosphere from within the crowd, rather than performing in a more formal way. One of the young people in our Under 18s Programme even had the chance to debut her brand-new composition at the festival for the first time!
“These learning opportunities are really helpful. The young people have got to experience the festival, they’ve done a two hour set, and then they can go and enjoy themselves. So it’s a balance of working hard and playing hard.”
Kenyah Johnson, NYJO Small Ensembles & Engagement Manager
If you would like to get involved with our Under 18s programme yourself, drop us an email anytime at [email protected].
