Thursday 9 July, 10.30am at www.connectresound.live/watch

The fifty members of the North Yorkshire County Youth Orchestra will present a brand new, lockdown performance to homes and schools across the county and beyond on Thursday 9 July at 10.30am. The event will be live-streamed at www.connectresound.live/watch.

Organised by the North Yorkshire Music Hub and local youth music charity NYMAZ, the online event will feature a special ‘at home’ performance of Radetzky’s March by Johann Strauss Senior, alongside an introduction to the orchestra and Q & A session.

Ian Bangay, Head of North Yorkshire County Music Service, explains the thinking behind the performance, “It’s all about creating a real moment of celebration. Essentially, it’s a wonderful way to all come together in one place at one time to enjoy music – and absolutely everyone is welcome to tune in!

“In normal circumstances the orchestra would be coming together for a week long residential and performance. As that can’t happen, we’ve put together this special virtual ensemble performance. Our young players will still be sharing their musical talents and love of orchestral music with the rest of the county, it’s just that you’ll be seeing them on your screens rather than on the school stage.”

Each player has recorded their own part at home, playing along to a backing track, and the pieces are then woven together to create a virtual performance, with all the players appearing onscreen and playing in time. Schools and young people are invited to ask questions about the orchestra and how to get involved in music-making in North Yorkshire – just send your questions in advance to info@nymaz.org.uk.

Sarah McWatt, Director, NYMAZ continues, “ During lockdown we have seen a huge uplift in families wanting to enjoy music online – this will be a great opportunity to showcase our homegrown talent and inspire others. This event is part of a calendar of live music broadcasts we’ve put together for the summer – we can’t wait to share all this fabulous free music with everyone, from chilled out soundscapes for the under-fives through to musical comedy cabaret for young people.”

The summer programme of live music broadcasts is available at www.connectresound.live/whatson

NYMAZ’s programme of online events is made possible thanks to support from Mayfield Valley Arts Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Youth Music, Foyle Foundation and Music for All.

An accompanying Resource Pack with related musical activities will be available to download from www.connectresound.live/resources.