Issue 1 - Summer 2013
Friends of Thames Youth Orchestra
Newsletter
Welcome to the first edition of the Friends of TYO newsletter! If you
have any ideas for the content, or there’s something you’d like to find
out, please contact Carys at admin@thamesyouthorchestra.co.uk.
HARP SCHEME
After the incredible success of the double
bass scheme, this year we have started up
the harp scheme, offering free harp tui-
tion to talented young musicians. Having
played for just over a term, they will all be
featuring in this term’s concert, where we
will be holding a collection to help raise
money for the harp scheme, as well as for
the cost of the harp itself.
Meet our harp tutor, Alex Rider:
Alex Rider is a young harpist much in de-
mand as a chamber and orchestral musi-
cian, as well as being recognized for his
interest in new music. This year alone in-
cludes solo appearances at the canterbury
and city of london festivals playing music by
Berio, Britten and Paul Patterson, a Radio 3
broadcast of Takemitsu (as part of the BBC
total immersion series) and solo concerti
with the Bedworth and Sussex symphony
orchestras. The summer of 2013 will see Alex
travel to Germany where he has been in-
vited to perform with the Schleswig Holstein
Festival Orchestra.
UPCOMING TOUR TO ITALY
Thames Youth Orchestra will be joined by
members of the Thames Youth Choir and
Tiffin Swing Band for this year’s tour to Tus-
cany, Italy! This promises to be our biggest
tour ever, with around 80 people, five con-
certs and two concertos from our wonder-
ful leader, Daniel Jung (who shall be play-
ing Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending)
and our principal horn, Alexei Watkins (who
shall be playing Britten’s Serenade for Tenor,
Horn and Strings). We have yet to have
our venues confirmed, but we are likely to
be playing concerts in Montecatini and
Corsanico, whilst scheduling in trips to the
beach and Florence!
Borgo a Mozzano, one of our potential concert locations
FUNDRAISING
Members of TYO have been working hard
fundraising throughout the year for tour, the
harp scheme, and for the general running
costs of the orchestra - funding music hire,
instrumental insurance, and of course our
amazing section coaches. A huge thank
you to Richmond Waitrose and Kingston
M&S for helping us fundraise by holding
busking and bag-packing sessions, and a
particular well done to our string quartet
and flute duo who have raised so much
money for us through busking!
UPCOMING
Our next concert’s poster can be found
with this copy of the newsletter, and will be
a night of film music in the beautiful St. Mat-
thias Church. We’ll also be having a post-
tour concert on September 2nd. Watch this
space!
Edited by Carys Evans