Sir Roger Norrington, a leading light on the classical music scene for almost 50 years, will conduct the Zurich Chamber Orchestra with celebrated South African clarinetist Robert Pickup as soloist in Johannesburg and Cape Town in January 2013. In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity selected members of the South African National Youth Orchestra will join them on their tour.

Sir Roger is an expert in historically informed orchestral playing, in which he seeks to put modern players in touch with the historical style of the music they are performing. He has built up a reputation with this approach, his breakthrough coming with London Classical Players in the 1980s. He is a frequent guest with many of the world’s major orchestras – the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic,

Nearly half a century of commitment to young musicians has made the South African National Youth Orchestra Foundation the leader of the youth orchestral movement in the country, inspiring musicians with a commitment to pursue the highest standards of musical performance. 2010 boasts a series of courses in addition to the annual Sasol National Youth Orchestra Course.

The National Youth Orchestra: Strings ensemble is selected from the créme de la créme of South Africa’s young string players between the ages of 18 and 25. In July 2010 the young musicians travelled across the country to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, where they formed an all-new and exciting group.

The Britten-Pears Orchestra (BPO) meets four times per year and gives young artists (approx. 18-29 years) the opportunity to attend a diverse and inspiring range of courses focused on professional development. Set in Aldeburgh Music’s breath-taking surroundings on the East coast of England, it combines fantastic resources and outstanding tutors from leading international orchestras. It has also helped many artists to bridge the gap between conservatoire and professional life and launched numerous successful careers.
SA NYO members wishing to be considered for the BPO are welcome to do their SA NYO …

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Samson Diamond, violin tutor at this year’s Sasol National Youth Orchestra Course, and Sophia Welz, SANYOF Chief Operations Officer, were invited to visit Nelson Mandela on 15 September. What an honour to be in the presence of our very own Madiba and for Samson to play for him!