World’s first disabled-led youth orchestra returns to the South Coast this spring

Wednesday 26 February 2025

The performance features sixteen brilliant 11–25-year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians, from its five regional NOYO Ensembles. The Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble is run in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO).

The BSL-interpreted Relaxed Concerts include brand-new music written for the group, plus bold new arrangements of pieces by Meredith Monk and the jazz-funk inspired Lucky Chops.

NOYO’s UK spring tour visits Milton Court, London [27 April], Lighthouse, Poole [10 May], Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff [17 May] and Birmingham Town Hall [8 June].

The Poole performance will also be available via livestream and available to watch for 30 days.

Concert lovers will experience brand-new music this spring from the pioneering National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO), which returns to Lighthouse, Poole with its innovative mix of acoustic and electronic instruments.

People of all ages are invited to NOYO’s Relaxed Concert which welcomes a diverse audience, inclusive of disabled and neurodivergent concertgoers and families.

NOYO became the world’s first disabled-led youth ensemble, when it launched in 2018. Its players, talented young disabled and non-disabled musicians, rehearse together in five regional NOYO Ensembles – in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, and London. The Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble is run in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: the BSO’s professional musicians work alongside players in monthly rehearsals, instrumental lessons, and performance opportunities.

Some of NOYO’s musicians perform acoustic instruments, while others play accessible electronic instruments – such as the Clarion – with specially commissioned music and arrangements to showcase their musicianship and creativity.

Two brand-new works feature at the centre of the group’s UK tour: the premiere of Yfat Soul Zisso’s Fragile (commissioned in partnership with nonclassical) and Ivors Academy Award-winning composer Liam Taylor-West’s piano concerto, Ring Out! (commissioned by Dr. John Manley). The concert also features arrangements of familiar works by Meredith Monk, Lucky Chops, and Kate Whitley. It also includes Barriers, a poignant work written by former NOYO musician Oliver Cross in memory of lost friends and fellow disabled musicians.

NOYO’s UK tour – entitled ‘Ring Out! No more barriers just great music’ – visits: Milton Court, London [Sat 27 April]; Lighthouse, Poole [Sat 10 May]; Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff [Sat 17 May]; and Birmingham Town Hall [Sun 8 June].

Composer Liam Taylor-West said of piano concerto ‘Ring Out!’: “The composition features a solo pianist prominently, opening the piece with loud, bold piano chords left to sound in their entirety, like bells being rung out from hilltops, passing signals from one place to another. I pictured the rest of the ensemble emerging slowly from these piano chords, with the music expanding to tell a story, before fading away and leaving the audience with just the bells again. I can’t wait to hear NOYO musicians sharing their interpretation of this story emerging between the bell chords”. On the concert series’ theme, Taylor-West says, “I love that the phrase ‘Ring Out!’ is being associated with a sense of pride and unashamedness about the orchestra’s unconventional, innovative music.”

Composer Yfat Soul Zisso said: “Fragile was composed as a journey, with the beauty and serenity of nature being gradually attacked and altered, and our emotional response to this happening, the anger that makes us decide to fight back and defend our environment – What does it take for us to acknowledge rather than ignore the attack, to step up and use our voices to stop it? I wanted the piece to have all these viewpoints and emotions, so it would hopefully represent both my feelings and the musicians’, giving them a musical voice to express themselves on a topic they deeply care about.” “Fragile was written in a more flexible way with NOYO in mind, with no fixed instrumentation given. It’s a piece that could be played by any type of flexible ensemble in the future. It shows the importance of accessibility when composing new music.”

NOYO Oboist, Lilian Hopper, said: “NOYO is such a fun ensemble to play in, and I think that enjoyment really comes through in our concerts. We do a wide variety of music, and each piece is arranged to suit the orchestra, creating interesting new takes on existing songs. There’s something in there for just about everyone, but my personal favourite in the lineup is Behroozi. It’s just so funky, and I rarely get to play jazzy pieces like it on the oboe.”

“I love big performances. What I like less are the hours of rehearsing with barely any breaks in between that usually come before that. It takes all my energy and sometimes also my enjoyment of the performance part. But in NOYO, the timing and the way things are organised works a lot better for me, so I can focus more on just playing good music instead of masking how I feel. It’s a place where I can work with my differences instead of trying to compensate for them all the time.”

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Executive, Dougie Scarfe OBE, said:
“We’re proud to support the National Open Youth Orchestra with its regional Bournemouth Ensemble – and are thrilled to livestream NOYO’s performance from Lighthouse, Poole again this year. What NOYO continues to achieve, in opening doors to the British music scene for a new generation of disabled people, is remarkable – we’re delighted to work closely with these brilliant young musicians.”

The National Open Youth Orchestra performs at Lighthouse, Poole on Saturday 10 May, at 3pm – the performance will also be livestreamed. For tickets and further details see bsolive.com

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With thanks to our Music Hub partners SoundStorm Music Education Agency, Hampshire Music Hub and Dorset Music Hub for their support of the programme.

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