For sixty years, NYJO has been at the forefront of jazz performance and the development of exceptional musicians. The force behind that reputation was our extraordinary big band, which blazed a trail through the UK jazz landscape for decades. As NYJO entered a period of transition and broadened its search for diverse talent, the big band was paused. 

Now it returns with renewed purpose. We invite you to become an early supporter of NYJO Blueprint Orchestra, a flagship ensemble designed to develop outstanding emerging professional musicians and restore NYJO’s big band to national prominence. 

We are seeking committed supporters who can help underwrite the orchestra’s first three years, giving it the stability to build artistic confidence, attract outstanding collaborators, and prove itself as a defining force in UK jazz. 

What is the NYJO Blueprint Orchestra? 

NYJO Blueprint Orchestra (NBO) is a big band for our emerging professional musicians. The orchestra meets weekly to explore curated repertoire in depth, develop ensemble craft, and prepare its members to perform at the highest level. This marks a thrilling return to the strengths of the old NYJO model: consistent ensemble development, artistic discipline, and excellence. A nationwide recruitment campaign has found brilliant young musicians aged 18–25 who are capable of, and serious about, reaching beyond their current musical limits. The environment will be demanding, supportive, and designed to help every player take risks, grow, and thrive. Our ambition is for NYJO Blueprint Orchestra to achieve national prominence and international recognition. 

Olivia Murphy, multi-award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, and NYJO alumna will musically direct and lead the development of an accomplished, creatively ambitious, and diverse orchestra of 17 to 22 players. The ensemble will focus on trust, musical cohesion, technique and the creative skills needed to perform challenging repertoire at the highest standard. Regular rehearsals will build confidence, precision and a strong connection between the musicians and their MD. Olivia will also create new compositions specifically for this orchestra, designed to draw the best from each individual.  

NYJO Blueprint Orchestra is reaching for the sky as a world-class meritocratic big band formed of diverse talent. It represents a cornerstone of the NYJO model that begins with our outreach and engagement work, progressing through our musician development programmes and articulates the key priority of our charity, which is to produce outstanding professional jazz musicians, ready to enter today’s musical landscape.  

Why we need your help 

NBO is a major expansion of NYJO’s artistic output and a return to the work that first established our reputation. With many musicians rehearsing and performing regularly, including some travelling from outside London, NYJO Blueprint Orchestra is a critical artistic development for NYJO. We intend to strengthen NYJO’s position at the forefront of jazz musician education while establishing the orchestra as a major artistic force in its own right. 

As the orchestra builds its identity over its first three years, we are seeking medium-term pledges that will give NYJO the confidence to secure outstanding national and international collaborations, commissions, and performance opportunities. Costs will be tightly managed, but committed support will allow NYJO to sustain NBO through this crucial launch period while continuing our wider work with young professionals and our growing participation and education programmes. 

Whatever your current level of support, the NBO syndicate offers a rare and highly rewarding opportunity to help an ambitious new orchestra flourish from its earliest years. 

What will your support help us achieve after three years? 

Your support will enable NYJO to deliver an initial three-year plan for Blueprint Orchestra, giving the ensemble the security and space to develop its voice, repertoire, and reputation. Our ambitions are bold. After three years, we want to see the orchestra: 

• Performing at national and international festivals 

• Regularly performing new, rare and challenging repertoire in significant venues including a return to the Proms 

• Collaborating with a variety of artists, artforms and genres and with prestige companies in the UK and beyond 

• Creating a secure and visible pipeline into the orchestra for musicians progressing through our programmes 

• Recognised as one of the UK’s premier big bands and a leading jazz musician development opportunity 

Making it happen – the NYJO Blueprint Orchestra syndicate 

The syndicate has three levels of membership, each designed to recognise and deepen your commitment to the project. 

Your involvement with NYJO Blueprint Orchestra will celebrate music and musicians. Every event or gathering we host will include a musical element, large or small. 

Some of the most valuable rewards of joining the NBO syndicate will be impossible to list in advance. While the extent of your participation is entirely up to you, we will seek to create memorable, money-can’t-buy experiences whenever possible. The syndicate is not only about financial support; it is also about renewing and deepening our relationship with supporters. You are also our audience, and your perspective matters. That is why we are introducing an annual forum where we can hear from you directly. 

We want you to feel immersed in the life of NBO and in the journeys of individual orchestra members. They, and all of us at NYJO, understand that your support gives them the chance to build productive careers and experience extraordinary music-making. Your donations support not only NYJO Blueprint Orchestra, but the whole NYJO ecosystem that introduces jazz to thousands of young people across society. As part of your syndicate membership, you will also have opportunities to see our wider programme at work: the pathway that may lead some participants to a chair in NYJO Blueprint Orchestra. 

We hope the chance to be part of this project excites you. Below are the ways you can become an integral part of the NYJO Blueprint Orchestra family.

NYJO would like to recognise Jane and David Richardson for their generous support as our inaugural Blueprint Founders.