With a London A to Z in hand, UO Principal Trumpet, Paul Young with UYO trumpet player, George Sandford, get ready for the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 4 August.

The two orchestras will give the world première of local composer Elaine Agnew’s new work, Dark Hedges, with Sir James Galway.

9 July 2012

London Calling

As the world gets ready for London 2012 and the biggest sporting event in world, Ulster Orchestra players and their junior counterparts in the Ulster Youth Orchestra (UYO) are preparing to combine to make a super–orchestra of 150–plus players for the BBC Proms.

Proms organisers this year have invited the national youth orchestras of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to perform with their ‘big brothers and sisters’ over the course of the first weekend in August.

The concert on 4 August will see the Ulster Youth Orchestra make their Proms début. They will be performing with the Ulster Orchestra and Sir James Galway in the world première of Dark Hedges by one of Northern Ireland’s most successful composers, the County Antrim– born Elaine Agnew.

Looking forward to his London performance, 18–year–old trumpet player George Sandford, who has played the trumpet with the UYO for two years, said, “At UYO we have great banter, great tuition and the chance to meet up with old friends again.

“The rapport that I have built up with the brass players in the Ulster Orchestra has been fantastic, and I would highly recommend UYO to all young musicians. Playing with them at the Royal Albert Hall at a Proms concert with Sir James Galway will be amazing; I can’t wait!”

Also looking forward to the concert, Paul Young, Principal Trumpet with the Ulster Orchestra said, “We play live to around 100,000 people giving between 80 to 90 concerts each year, but a Proms concert is always special.”

“While this is our eleventh visit to the Proms since our début in 1985, JoAnn Falletta, our Principal Conductor and the Ulster Youth Orchestra will be making their first appearances this time round. The fact that we will be giving a world première of a new work with James Galway, who makes his first appearance at a Prom in a decade, will make for a great day, especially for the younger players and some of my colleagues who haven’t yet done a Prom.”

The Ulster Youth Orchestra will open the concert with a performance of Chabrier’s España, followed by the Ulster Orchestra and Sir James Galway giving a performance of Mozart’s Flute Concerto No.2 in D.

The Ulster Youth Orchestra will then join their professional counterparts on stage with Sir James for the world première of Dark Hedges, a piece for double orchestra and solo flute. The combined orchestra will then end the concert with Stravinsky’s Firebird (1911 version).

Starting at 2pm, you can enjoy the concert live on BBC Radio 3 if you can’t make it to London.

TICKETS

Book online or by phone from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office on 0845 401 5045 or +44 20 7589 8212 if you are calling from outside the UK.