NYO's 40th Anniversary celebrations kicked off in January with Intermediate Orchestra's very special trip to play on Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall stage just for fun!

It was very valuable for the members of NYIO to be able to enjoy the space and experience the full auditorium from the concert platform. There was an opportunity to split the orchestra into strings and wind/percussion with each half performing a little to the other group. This provided an opportunity to listen objectively for ensemble balance and give feedback as well as appreciate the concert hall's excellent acoustics.

In addition there were opportunities for students to have a go at conducting from the podium, and some orchestral games including 'hot baton' and another game designed to get the musicians to observe and follow silly instructions whilst still playing.

A highlight was an interesting Q&A session with one of TRCH's Directors, Jonathan Saville where our youngsters learned about many of the incredible musicians who have performed on the same stage. It has made us all very excited about all our NYO orchestras performing here for real in 2026.

Many thanks to Jonathan and TRCH for accommodating us and making us feel most welcome and very special. Also thanks to NYIO's tutors and conductor Chris -we couldn't have done it without you!