Gloucester High School is set to host some auspicious musical guests when part of the Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) drops by to perform a free concert.
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The performance, which is to take place at 12:30pm on Tuesday, April 16 in the school auditorium, will feature 60 musicians from the Peter Seymour Orchestra - one of the 14 ensembles that comprise the SYO.
The musicians will be in town for a stop-over on their journey to Armidale for the Youth Orchestral Camp - a five day intensive program of workshops, rehearsals, and performances aimed at developing talented young musicians.
Similar concerts will be held in Gunnedah, Inverell, and Armidale.
The Gloucester performance will include snippets of core orchestral repertoire, including Brahms' Academic Festival Overture and family favourites like the themes from Frozen and the Lion King.
Conductor James Pensini will lead the orchestra through what will be a relaxed and informal concert, designed to be interactive, informative, and fun.
Organisers say children are encouraged to join in and stomp their feet to the timpani drumbeat, clap hands to the big, brass tubas, dance gently to the delicate flutes and wiggle along to the clarinet.
Developing regional music
I think that often with regional musicians there can be a barrier to access frequent large orchestral opportunities.
- Sydney Youth Orchestra spokesperson, Eleanor Lofthouse
The Youth Orchestral Camp will see about 250 members of the SYO collaborating with 50 regional musicians from across the state in a focused gathering of youth orchestral talent.
The event will include multiple segments of the SYO, including the Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Western Sydney Youth Orchestra, and Richard Gill Chamber Orchestra; along with the Peter Seymour Orchestra who will be performing in Gloucester.
According to SYO spokesperson, Eleanor Lofthouse, it is all part of the investment in regional talent by bringing the best young musicians together to provide opportunities and inspire.
"I think that often with regional musicians there can be a barrier to access frequent large orchestral opportunities," Eleanor said.
"The SYO is really committed to having these regional outreach programs to continue to build musical communities, not just with Sydney, but throughout New South Wales."
Sponsoring regional arts
The event will be supported by Learning For Good; a charity that sources and distributes world-leading cultural content and education resources produced by not-for-profit organisations.
As well as being the major sponsor for the SYO for the past 12 months, Leaning For Good is committed to providing educational material to regional and remote schools through its digital interface.
According to the organisation's founder, Chris North, the fostering of music programs in schools helps students on many varied levels.
"It builds resilience, it builds confidence, it builds cohort, gives purpose and the more we support regional and remote communities with these facilities the more resilience we have for these students to be able to perform and achieve better results along with their city counterparts," Chris said.
The concert will take place at 12:30pm on Tuesday, April 16 in the Gloucester High School auditorium.
Tickets are free but must be pre-booked via the Sydney Youth Orchestra website.
