CYM and the BBC's Light Fantastic, 24th & 25th June

CYM & LSSO brass players will be featured in a new fanfare written for the BBC Light Fantastic Weekend by composer Anne Dudley. They will be involved in a recording for Radio 3 in the Royal Festival Hall Clore Ballroom at 6.30pm and then in a huge massed performance on Hungerford Bridge at 7.30pm!

The CYM Dance Band also appear in the Clore Ballroom on Saturday 25th June at 2.00pm. 

Saturday 18th June Events

Three lunchtime performances  take place on 18th June at 1.10pm - a Brass Department Concert in the Emma Cons Hall, an Informal String Concert in Room B08, and Student Soloists at Notre Dame School.

Louis Watt Memorial Competition 2011 

The first round of this year's competition will be held on Friday 24th June , with the final on Saturday 2nd July - both at Morley College. Please see the link on the left for full details. Students attending Saturday CYM and LSSO or LYWB may apply. Contact Elaine Lewis for application forms (elaine@cym.org.uk, 020 7928 3844).

CYM Students on the Barbican Free Stage

CYM students will feature in two Barbican Free Stage performances during the Steve Reich Weekend. Singing students will take part in Brian Eno's Music for Airports at 5pm on Saturday 7th May. Instrumentalists will perform a new piece inspired by Steve Reich and created with fellow students from Junior Guildhall & Barbican Creative Learning at 4.15pm on Sunday 8th May. Reich will be helping with the writing of the piece during workshops. 

LSSO at the Barbican Hall

The LSSO will perform under the baton of Leif Segerstram at the Barbican Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday 27th April. Music by Sibelius, Respighi and Britten. 

CYM Annual Concert, Saturday 2nd April, St. Alfege Church, Greenwich, 7.00pm

After a very successful Chamber Concert last week CYM's Annual Showcase Concert on Saturday 2nd April will feature some of the larger ensembles and choirs in a programme with a French flavour. Chamber Orchestra will perform Ravel's Mother Goose Suite whilst six members of the Piano Department will feature in a performance of Saint Saens's Carnival of the Animals.

Other groups are Trumpet Ensemble, Baroque Ensemble, Chamber Choir, Guitar Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Dance Band, and the combined Junior, Concert and SSA Choirs.

Tickets available on the door - contact the CYM Office for more details on 020 7928 3844 

Spring 2011 Upbeat is available now

 The latest edition of Upbeat is available from the Friends of CYM page, or directly HERE. 

  CYM Chamber Concert 23rd March, 7.30pm

Thanks to the generous support of Markhams Pianos there will be a concert featuring CYM chamber music ensembles and soloists at St Mary Magdalene Church in Munster Square, NW1 later this month. This is a public concert and tickets will be available from the CYM Office from March 12th, and on the door. This is of course in addition to the Annual Concert at St Alfege Church, Greenwich on April 2nd.

LYWB Concert Friday 25th February, St John's Church, Waterloo, 7.30pm.

The London Youth Wind Band are joined by Guildhall School of Music flute soloist Chloe Vincent in a programme of French music from the 19th & 20th Centuries. Chloe will feature in the Concertino by Cecile Chaminade. Other music will include Bizet's Carmen, Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, and Schonberg's Miss Saigon.

Department Meetings Saturday 5th February

 Lunchtime Activities on 5th February are Department Meetings. All students are required to attend (by first study instrument) unless they have other timetabled lessons or aural classes. Rooms will be on the notice boards. 

GCSE Revision Course

Bookings are now being taken for a GCSE music revision course at Morley College on Wednesday 23rd February at 10.00am (during half term). The course will be led by Principal Examiner of Edexcel and AQA Cathie Shore. It will cater for students taking any GCSE board exam and focus on the Listening Paper. Please see the Holiday Course Application Form or call for further information.

CYM Open Day & Applications 2011

The CYM Open Day will take place on Saturday 29th January from 10.00am. Prospective students and their parents will be able to see the Centre "in action" through the day. There will be opportunities to speak with CYM tutors and current students & parents, as well as visit classes and ensemble rehearsals.

Applications for September 2011 entry are now being accepted and forms can be downloaded from this website at this link - http://www.cym.org.uk/downloads/cymform_main.pdf

Harpsichord Postponed

Unfortunately Erik is presently stranded in South Africa so the event below has been postponed. Watch this space for a new date later in the term. 

Interested in playing the harpsichord?

Erik Dippenar, CYM accompanist, specialises in early keyboard intruments and will be presenting an introduction to the harpsichord on Saturday January 15th  at 1.10pm in Room B05 in Morley College. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and try the CYM instrument as well as listen to Erik's fine playing. Parents as well as students all welcome. 

LSSO at the Barbican

Peter Ash will conduct the LSSO at the Barbican Hall on Tuesday 5th January at 7.30pm in music by Wagner (Tristan & Isolde), Prokofiev (Romeo & Juliet), and Beethoven (Symphony No 5). Soprano soloist Alwyn Mellor will sing in the Wagner.

Tickets from the Barbican Box Office.

Christmas!

The CYM Team wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The first CYM Saturday of 2011 is January 8th. 

Last Day of Term Performances, 11th December

Parents, friends and relations (and students of course!) are welcome to a range of informal performances that will be happening throughout the day on Saturday 11th December. All details will be on the notice boards. Students shoud initially attend ensembles at the usual times in the usual rooms. There will be a special performance by the Junior, Concert & SSA Choirs in Notre Dame Hall at 1.00pm, and the Percussion Department will have their own Christmas Concet at Johanna School - also at lunchtime.

CYM Gamelan at the South Bank Centre, Sunday 12th December

CYM's students who are working with the South Bank Centre's gamelan team will be taking part in a performance at the Royal Festival Hall Clore Ballroom at 5.00pm on Sunday 12th December. This is a free event and would provide a warm interlude for anyone wanting to enjoy the very festive stalls that abound along the embankment by the SBC running up to Christmas! 

CYM Open Saturday 4th December

The Centre will be open tomorrow (Saturday 4th) as normal. Lunchtime performances will go ahead. There will be concerts in the Emma Cons Hall & Notre Dame Hall. There will also be an Informal String Concert in B08 and a Recorder Department Meeting in Room E21. All begin at 1.10pm.

Saturday 27th November

Lunchtime performances at Morley College include Intermediate & Senior Brass Ensembles and solo items. There is also another Piano Faculty in B05. All start at 1.10pm.  

Lunchtime Concerts 20th November

There are Student Lunchtime Concerts in both the Emma Cons Hall at Morley College and at Notre Dame School on November 20th. Music for piano, voice, trumpet, flute, oboe and violin all included! Both performances begin at 1.10pm.  There is also an Informal String Department Concert in Room B08 and a Piano Faculty in B05 at the same time.

CYM Sax Ensemble share a new piece

The CYM Saxophone Ensemble is involved this term in a joint venture with its counterpart at the Junior Guildhall. Jeffrey Wilson, who teaches composition at the JD, has been commissioned to write a new work for the combined ensembles. Watch this space for news on progress! 

CYM on Facebook!

CYM now has a Facebook Page! We will use it to help keep everyone up to date with life at CYM and look forward to sharing "stuff" with you!   

16th October Activities

The Piano, String and Recorder Departments all have lunchtime events on Saturday 16th October - in rooms B05, B08 and E21 respectively. Visitors from other departments and parents are welcome! 

 Practical Exam Deadline 9th October

Applications for practical exams for both ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall need to be in by the end of the Day on Saturday 9th October. Forms are available at the front desks and in the CYM Office.

FCYM AGM

The Friends of CYM will hold their Annual General Meeting in the Notre Dame School Hall on Saturday October 2nd at 1.00pm. It will be followed by a performance by the CYM Junior and Concert Choirs. All parents and students are welcome.

LSSO Barbican Petrushka

A large audience enjoyed an impressive and exciting performance of Stravinsky's spectacular ballet score Petrushka in the Barbican Hall on Tuesday 28th September.

Following a highly successful tour to Turkey in August the orchestra, conducted by Peter Ash, were joined by soloist Alexander Markov in a performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3. They opened the all Russian programme with Glinka's Russlan and Ludmila Overture.

New Year September 2010

Please note that the first the first day of term, Activities Day, is Saturday 18th September involving all students. During this day you will receive your new timetable for when teaching begins on the 25th

Louis Watt Winners

Alan Bullard awarded the Louis Watt Prize to violinist Sebastian Freeburn. The two runners-up were Alex Crawford, guitar, and Amy Roberts, oboe.  

Spring 2011 Upbeat is available now

 The latest edition of Upbeat is available from the Friends of CYM page, or directly HERE. 

Spring 2011 Upbeat is available now

 The latest edition of Upbeat is available from the Friends of CYM page, or directly HERE. 

Guitar Department Concert

Members of the CYM Guitar Department will give a concert of solo and ensemble music at 7.30pm in St Anne's & St Agnes Church, EC2 on Friday July 2nd.  

July Holiday Course Booking Now!

CYM's Instrumental Holiday Courses are a great way for students aged 7 to 15 to meet other musicians and play all kinds of music under the guidance of an enthusiastic and highly experienced tutor team. Sign up now by downloading the application form from this website, or call or e-mail for more details. Dates are shown in the "Also" column.  

CYM Dance Band & Lincoln Centre Jazz

On Saturday June 19th the CYM Dance Band will be taking part in Essentially Ellington at the Barbican Hall (10.00am) - one of the events included in the first residency of Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra. The band will be sharing the stage with NYJO2! There will be further workshop activities through the day. 

The Laughing Violin!

CYM tutors Peter Poole (violin) and Peter Croser (piano) present a programme of music in the lighter vain in the Holst Room (Morley College) at 1.10pm, Saturday 12th June. Admission is free.  

Peter Ash (LSSO Artistic Director) has opera premiered in USA

Peter Ash's opera The Golden Ticket , based on Roald Dahl's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, will receive it's World Premiere on June 13th at the Opera Theatre of St Louis. Good Luck Peter!

Louis Watt Competition

Instrumentalists aged 16 and over from CYM, LSSO and LYWB who have attained a level equivalent to Grade 8 or above are eligible to take part in this prestigeous competition. See the link on the left for full details.

The closing date for entries is 11th June. The 1st Round will take place on Thursday 24th June, with the Final on Saturday 3rd July. Adjudicators on June 24th are Julie Beaman and Vincent Lindsay-Clarke. The Final will be judged by ABRSM Chief Examiner Clara Taylor.

CYM singers at the Globe Theatre 

A group of our younger singers are to take part in the Globe Theatre production of Henry VIII, opening on Saturday May 15th. Thanks as usual to Head of Singing Lynda Richardson for enabling them this unique opportunity.

Exam Entry Deadline

Entries for ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall Practical Exams should be in on Saturday 1st May. Forms available from the CYM office  

LSSO at the Barbican Hall, Wednesday 21st April, 7.30pm 

The LSSO will again perform at the Barbican Hall, playing Berlioz's Harold in Italy with CYM student Joshua Hayward as viola soloist, and Franck Symphony in D. Robin O'Neill is the guest conductor. Contact the Barbican Box Office for tickets: 020 7638 8891 or www.barbican.org.uk.

Half Term Dates

Please note that the Centre has two Saturdays off at half term, the 29th May and the 5th June, not the 22nd May as in some information at the beginning of September. 

CYM Annual Concert, Saturday 27th March, 7.00pm

The CYM Annual Concert will take place at St. Augustine's Church in Queen's Gate, SW7. The programme will feature both junior and senior students and include the first performance of Sweet Joy by CYM tutor Peter Thorne. All departments will be represented in a contrasting evening of music culminating in Handel's The King Shall Rejoice. Tickets always available on the door.

CYM at Sound Moves  

CYM students will be taking part in two days of events at the South Bank Centre on Friday & Saturday 26th and 27th March. Sound Moves  is a showcase for the Music and Dance Scheme partners in the South East region. A concert performance in the Royal Festival Hall at 7.30pm on the 26th will be complimented by numerous workshops and foyer performances throughout the two days. Details available from the South Bank Centre.

LYWB at St. John's Waterloo 

On Friday 26th February the London Youth Wind Band are joined by saxophone soloist Sam Bullard (Syd Lawrence Orchestra, West End Theatre etc) in a programme of music ranging from Gershwin to Rossini. The concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets are available on the door. 

Trumpet & Piano Recital  

Victoria Curren (Trumpet) and Clive Matthews (Piano) will be giving two performances at CYM on Saturday 27th February. A recital programme of trumpet and piano music at 1.10pm in the Emma Cons Hall and a version for trumpet and piano of Poulenc's charming "Babar the Elephant" at 3.00pm, also in the ECH.

Back On Line!  

Our apologies for the lack of updates over the last weeks - we are now "back on line" and the Diary is up to date 

CYM Open Days

There will be two Open Days for the Saturday Centre giving the opportunity for potential students for 2010/11 entry to observe classes and ensembles, meet tutors and find out what becoming a part of CYM really involves.

The first day is Saturday 28th November and runs from 10.00am to 3.00pm. The second day is January 23rd at the same times. Please contact the CYM office for more details.  

Visitors from Finland 

  The Rajalan Puhaltajat Youth Wind Band from Finland will be performing in a Lunchtime Concert in the Emma Cons Hall on Saturday 10th October at 1.10pm.

New Appointments

Two long serving CYM tutors have been appointed to management positions. Gill Tarlton becomes Head of Strings and Julie Beaman becomes Senior Woodwind Tutor. Geoffrey Harniess takes on a new role as Head of Wind and Brass.  

Centre for Young Musicians joins Guildhall School 

London’s Centre for Young Musicians has today (22 September 2009) become a department of the renowned Guildhall School of Music & Drama, following a contract agreed by the City of London Corporation and Westminster City Council.  The Centre for Young Musicians, which will remain based at Morley College in central London, opened in 1970 and provides high quality music training to thousands of young people from across the capital, regardless of their background or ability to pay. The CYM is recognised as a Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) under the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ (DCSF) Music and Dance Scheme; and the Centre’s flagship London Schools Symphony Orchestra appears regularly at the Barbican Centre. Effective from today, the Centre will move from Westminster City Council’s control to the City of London Corporation, which founded and funds Guildhall School, and provides local government services to the ‘Square Mile’, which it promotes as a world-leading international financial and business centre. The transfer will significantly increase the critical mass of outreach work already undertaken by Guildhall Connect and Junior Guildhall, alongside the LSO’s Discovery and On Track schemes.  This exciting opportunity will further promote equal access and develop provision of life-long music education and instrumental tuition to young people in 32 London boroughs, while realising full and unique advantage of the education and outreach programmes offered by the LINK Alliance:  London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), Guildhall School and the Barbican Centre. Professor Barry Ife, Principal of Guildhall School of Music & Drama, said: “This new partnership with the CYM firmly establishes Guildhall School as the largest provider of specialist music education in the United Kingdom. We look forward to working with our new colleagues to ensure the greatest possible and lasting impact on young people’s lives.” Stuart Fraser, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, said: "The City of London's decision to take on responsibility for the Centre for Young Musicians reinforces our commitment to young people and the arts, and builds on its investment in Guildhall School. I am sure that the students will continue to flourish at the Centre, as it becomes part of the School, which has gained an enviable reputation for producing exceptional talent." Stephen Dagg, CYM Director, said: "I am absolutely delighted that London's Centre for Young Musicians is to join a campus which already boasts such illustrious names as the Barbican Centre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the London Symphony Orchestra under the aegis of the City of London Corporation. I am confident that CYM's very special spirit can enhance the life-long learning and performing culture of this vibrant, new and exciting partnership." Cllr Mark Page, Westminster Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "The transferring of responsibility from Westminster to the City of London Corporation is a really positive move for the Centre for Young Musicians, as it will give the centre renewed focus and benefit hundreds of young musicians across the capital."

New Term 2009/10

The CYM Saturday Centre term begins on September 19th with the Induction Day for new students and special activities for the whole Centre. Details will be posted to all CYM students.

CYM Students at Thames Festival

 On Saturday 12th September at 2pm both current and former CYM and LSSO students, alongside professional and community musicians, will be taking part in a performance of Flood Tide - a ground-breaking composition by jazz trumpeter and composer John Eacott generated by the flow of tidal water from the Thames.

The performance will take place at London Bridge City Pier, right at the heart of the Thames Festival programme.

LSSO at the Barbican

The LSSO will perform at the Barbican Hall on Wednesday 23rd September conducted by their Artistic Director Peter Ash. matthew Trusler will be the soloist in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. The programme also includes works by Rossini, Richard Strauss and Ravel.