Lister Community School had the privilege of welcoming The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain two days after their performance at the Royal Festival Hall. On Monday 13th April the NYO attended the school, which is one of six schools in London supported by the Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST), part of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.
The NYO musicians led workshops for Lister music pupils, showcasing excerpts from classical music works and devising new pieces with the Lister students. The National Youth Orchestra also put on two concerts; one at 2pm for Lister pupils and staff, in which they performed Bela Bartok’s ‘Concerto for Orchestra’, then another at 5pm for parents and the local community. Students from Lister and St Angela’s joined in with the second concert, performing orchestral versions of Clean Bandit’s ‘Rather Be’ and ‘Chameleon’ by Herbie Hancock alongside the NYO players.
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This was a fantastic opportunity to see live orchestral music and the experience left a strong impression on those that attended. Year 8 Lister pupil Shaan Arshad said he ‘would never forget this day and the experience.’ Another pupil, Danielle Abbia Kwakye in Year 9, said ‘it was thrilling…and made me feel that I can go far with my music playing’.
“It was brilliant to see hundreds of teenagers working together with a shared love of music. The enthusiastic Lister School students made musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain feel really welcome and gave their performance a fantastic reaction. We hope the relationship between NYO and Lister School will flourish, and that Lister musicians can now see that there can be some amazing musical destinations to aim towards.”
NYO Executive Director Amy Mole
“The National Youth Orchestra gave us a fantastic day of music-making. It was wonderful for our students to see and hear young people performing at such a high standard, and the full and dramatic sound of the Bartok concerto in our Agora was stunning. The whole NYO team worked brilliantly all day with our students, not just performing a great concert but also giving them the chance to try out conducting, and to play alongside them. It was a genuinely inspirational and uplifting experience for our whole school community. We have some great opportunities for our students: this was one of the most exciting and special days I have ever experienced in a school.”
Mr Wilson, Headteacher
Lister Community School Music Department 