Far North Youth Orchestra Off To A Great Start

22nd April 2014

Young musicians met last Saturday in Thurso at the first ever rehearsal day for the Far North Youth Orchestra.

37 young musicians aged 8-13 from 20 schools all over Caithness & Sutherland - for most of them it was their first ever chance to play in an orchestra. Some of them have only been learning for a few months, others for a few years, and they are being taught (some privately and some in school lessons) by 16 different music teachers across north & west Highland. T

hree hours of rehearsal with our friendly and experienced conductor Susie Dingle, and here are the amazing results now up on youtube: Peedie Beach written specially for the orchestra by Katrina Gordon
Ode to Joy (by the slightly more famous Mr Beethoven)

Katrina Gordon said, "Genuinely, many of these children had orchestral parts so simple that they only had to play 4 different notes all day, while others, as you'll hear, are already able musicians, but every single one played their part with an astonishing level of concentration, commitment and accomplishment. It was a new experience for every one of them. AND we all had loads of fun!!!"

"The orchestra will be meeting again on Saturday 28th June and we'd be delighted to have even more musicians. About a quarter of the children in the video were from Thurso, two were from Wick, and the rest of them were from villages in rural Caithness and Sutherland. For many, this orchestra was bigger than their whole school population and so it was a truly exceptional experience for them."

"We'd like to make the Far North Youth Orchestra a long term opportunity for our young folk - the first two rehearsals have been sponsored by Lyth Arts Centre's community development fund (which comes from the Roberston Trust) but after June, we're on our own and hoping to become self-funding. To do this, we'd need about 60 children participating regularly."

"Please share the videos with anyone you know who has children who might like to participate and direct them to our website - there are no auditions and there is no minimum entry level."

For more information, visit www.caithnessmusic.com