Dazzling Future Bekons for Young Musician
By admin
Issued on behalf of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
A fifteen-year-old clarinet player from the Vale of Glamorgan is celebrating, having been chosen to play in the national Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Rachel Patel, a pupil at Howell’s School, has won one of only 160 coveted places in the Orchestra, fending off competition from more than 500 applicants across the UK.
Rachel, whose father, Dr Viren Patel, is founder of the Orthodontic Centre in Cardiff, will now join other talented young musicians for a series of two-week residential courses during the winter, spring and summer holidays, each of which will culminate in performances at some of the finest concert halls in the country.
With the chance to work with some of the world’s leading conductors and be taught by top professional musicians, 2008 will see Rachel playing a varied programme of music in such prestigious venues as Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and the Barbican Hall, London. She will also play at the annual BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.
Rachel’s first performance with the NYO will be at the very start of 2008, conducted by James MacMillan, playing Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet and James MacMillan’s own Symphony: “Vigil” on January 4th at the Roundhouse, London, and January 5th at Leeds Town Hall.
NYO Director, Sarah Alexander, who herself hails from Barry, and was until recently, MAX director at Welsh National Opera commented:
“Sixty years of exceptional orchestral tradition and the vibrancy of young players, combine to make the NYO a unique organisation….I’m looking forward to developing new opportunities for the Orchestra and its players.”
Rachel added:
“I’m delighted to have been chosen to be part of such a prestigious organisation and am really looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. It’s nerve wracking and exciting at the same time and I’d just like to thank everyone that’s supported me in getting this far.”
