NYJO News: Festivals, Celebrating Miles Davis, Summer Showcase & more

June 29, 2026
Students play clarinet and violin

NYJO are playing at Europe’s biggest outdoor jazz festival this month: Love Supreme! Balancing out the heatwave with the cool, cool jazz of Miles Davis, as performed by Tom Stringer and our NYJO nonet. We also look forward to our Under 18s Showcase in the glorious Woolwich Works Courtyard and launching our official dedicated NYJO Blueprint Orchestra page. 

Film from Cross the Tracks Festival

Watch the video of highlights from our Second Line performance with our Under 18s at Cross the Tracks in Brockwell Park this year. This is one of the first of the Summer festivals, with Love Supreme and We Out Here left to look forward to this summer 2026.

 

Manchester Under 18s Collective:

After meeting to play together regularly across the year, The Collective have been working hard towards an exciting performance for friends and family at Band on the Wall in Manchester as part of One Education Music’s Jazz Showcase.

We would like to thank each participant for their commitment to improvisation, and sharing their new jazz skills and knowledge with each other and to their lucky audience! We would also like to thank our talented Emerging Professional musicians who ran these workshops and gave each young musician a chance to shine.

Students playing guitar and trumpet

Introducing our NYJO Blueprint Orchestra:

We are thrilled to announce our brand new large ensemble of Emerging Professional Jazz musicians led by Musical Director Olivia Murphy. Meeting weekly across four ten-week terms, the orchestra focuses on building trust, musical cohesion, and the advanced technical and creative skills required to perform at the highest professional standard.

Head to their dedicated NYJO Blueprint page to meet the musicians part of the ensemble.

NYJO Blueprint Orchestra stand together looking at the camera. Musical director crouches in front of them in the middle.

Miles Davis 100 at Love Supreme Festival 

Saturday 4 July, 7pm
Glynde Place, East Sussex

NYJO is excited to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’s birth at Europe’s largest outdoor summer jazz festival, Love Supreme, this July.

More details here. 

NYJO Learning Showcase 

Sunday 5th July, 12-4pm
Woolwich Works 

Come and watch everything our NYJO Under 18s have learned this term as they perform in the Woolwich Works Courtyard for friends and family.

More details here. 

Miles Davis 100 at 606 Club

Thursday 9th July, 8pm
606 Club, London

Another place to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis’s birth: the 606 Club in Chelsea.

More details here. 

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Lucy-Anne (EP quote)

“Since joining NYJO, I’m so much more confident as a performer. Especially in terms of being able to entertain and keep the crowd engaged with you. It’s really nice to be able to feel that difference.” 

Lucy-Anne, NYJO Emerging Professional (Vocals)

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Georgia (EP quote)

“It’s hard to just learn this music in the practice room but being immersed in the music at NYJO is a great environment to really push my playing. ” 

Georgia Ayew, NYJO Emerging Professional (Drums)

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Sam Eastmond (MD quote)

"Giving them space to create whatever they wanted, without setting parameters of idiom or style helped them to conceptualise how they could bring these new concepts into their work without scaring them off, or mystifying the process."

Sam Eastmond, NYJO Educator

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Jazzwise quote

"NYJO has never been conformist, never hewing to one particular line, never known for fawning replications and very deliberately these days a vehicle for new possibilities."

Jazzwise Magazine

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Lydia (EP quote)

"The past year has been an absolutely incredible experience, pushing me way out of my comfort zone into playing with some of the greatest young jazz players of my generation and getting to call them my colleagues and friends has been beyond inspiring, and also an obscene amount of fun!"

Lydia Cochrane, NYJO Emerging Professional (Saxophone)

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Anna (Learning national quote)

"[The NYJO residential in Cumbria] helped me to make friends with other young musicians. I enjoy playing a lot more and I’m quite proud of what I’ve accomplished. I feel more confident now. I have learnt different ways of coming up with solid melodies and also a little bit on harmonies. I think it’s been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had."

Anna, NYJO Learning Widening Access participant

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Briony (Learning U18s quote)

"I’ve felt very fortunate to be surrounded by amazing musicians, and I think that the environment at NYJO – which has fostered creativity and improvisation – has allowed my confidence and musical ideas to grow."

Briony, NYJO Under 18s

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Oscar (Learning U18s quote)

"I think I’ve progressed a lot in my piano-playing. NYJO has helped me to flourish and really enjoy it. I’ve really enjoyed being engrossed in a high level of playing and learning things in a hands-on-way. I also like the diversity of perspectives and abilities of all the players and teachers which enables me to try things I might not normally."

Oscar, NYJO Under 18s

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Jennie (Learning U18s quote)

"NYJO has got me listening to more jazz and learning more changes. It has also helped with working as a band. I’ve really enjoyed the free jazz, learning by ear, the people, and the atmosphere."

Jennie, NYJO Under 18s

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Leah-Anais (Learning U18s quote)

"I love the people at NYJO. Everyone here is so encouraging and lovely and it makes the experience worthwhile. Though I have fun I’m still learning on the way which makes me feel productive too."

Leah-Anais, NYJO Under 18s

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