Since 2022, our Youth Ensembles have empowered young musicians through advanced ensemble training and music-making opportunities.
What we do.
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Youth Orchestra
String players Grade 5+ & Woodwind, brass and percussion players Grade 6+.
Our Youth Orchestra rehearses weekly on a Wednesday 4:30-6:30pm at Fountainhall Church at the Stocket, performing in December and March.
Chris Gray, conductor, is the Artistic Director of Scottish Opera’s Youth Company and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. Chris has worked extensively throughout the UK and Europe as a conductor of youth and amateur ensembles.
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Strings
Initial String Orchestra - String players who’ve been learning for at least a year.
Junior String Orchestra - String players working around Grades 2-4.
New for 2023, our Junior String Orchestra was created to provide a stepping stone to our Youth Orchestra. While it establishes and grows, we are quite flexible on the entry level and can provide simplified parts to enable it to be more accessible. It rehearses weekly on a Wednesday 5:30-6:30pm at Fountainhall Church at the Stocket, giving short performances before the Youth Orchestra concerts in December and March.
Conductor Faith Ockwell has a Bachelor’s Degree from Pacific Lutheran University in Music Education and a Master’s Degree in Musicology and Composition from the University of Aberdeen. Faith has taught orchestra, choir, and instrumental lessons for over two decades.
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Bands: Woodwind, Brass, Percussion
Woodwind, brass and percussion players Grade 1+.
Our focus is now expanding to include bands to extend ensemble music-making opportunities to woodwind, brass, and percussion players. Similarly to how we structured the Youth Orchestra and Junior String Orchestra, we plan to have a Training Band and a Senior Band.
If you’re interested in joining, click the button below and fill out the form on our Bands page. We are finalising conductors and rehearsal locations and times and will share these as soon as possible.
Why we do it.
We founded our youth orchestras and ensembles because we recognised a crucial need for regular city-wide or regional opportunities for dedicated young musicians to come together and hone their skills. We believe the weekly rehearsal process is central to developing musicianship. Beyond just playing the right notes, our programs foster musical growth alongside a strong sense of community. Young musicians form lifelong friendships as they explore the joyful and collaborative world of music-making.
