Talented musician calls for funds
By admin
A sensational young clarinet player from the Vale of Glamorgan has spoken out about the cash crisis facing the orchestra she says has been the backbone of her musical success.
Rachel Patel, 15, whose father, Dr Viren Patel, is founder of the Orthodontic Centre in Cardiff, last year secured her place as one of only 160 musicians across the UK to play in the prestigious National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
But Rachel, who spent five years with the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain(NCO) before her transition to the Youth Orchestra, says that, without the training and support she received from the NCO, her musical dreams may never have materialised.
Since its foundation 30 years ago, the NCO has been financed solely by highly-subsidised training course fees and by generous charitable donations from individuals, trusts and companies. In recent years, NCO has also benefited from support by the National Lottery.
The National Children’s Orchestra comprises five age-banded ensembles: the Training Orchestra for the youngest strings players aged 7-10, the Under 11, Under 12 and Under 13 Orchestras, and the Main Orchestra, made up mostly of 13 year-olds. In all, some 500 of the country’s finest emerging classical musical talents.
Rachel fears that without a major and desperately-needed cash injection, the NCO will have to turn away the talented musicians of the future. NCO’s musicians come from all social and ethnic backgrounds and are drawn equally from the independent educational sector and from State schools.
No child possessing the talent necessary to be offered a place in NCO is ever denied it for lack of funds- a pledge made possible by bursary funds donated by supporters to help less well-off children. But the ‘credit crunch’ is beginning to hit the charity’s donation income hard.
Now in its 30th year, the NCO is in danger of running into a financial deficit which could mean that bursaries will no longer be available to fund talented musicians whose families cannot afford to cover their costs.
In a push to raise funds, the NCO is running a national 30th Anniversary Appeal. A programme of events marking the charity’s ‘birthday’ will include a sell-out Gala Concert at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. The concert, to be attended by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham and senior figures in musical education, will aim to raise awareness of the charity’s situation and highlight the importance of helping talented youngsters from all backgrounds to fulfil their musical potential.
Speaking of the opportunities she received as a member of the NCO, Rachel said: “I would never have made it into the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain without the grounding and excellent tuition I received in the National Children’s Orchestra.
“Not only does the NCO provide an excellent foundation on which new musicians can build their skills but it has also enabled me to develop as a genuinely fully-rounded person.”
NCO’s Marketing and Development Co-ordinator Liz Jones said: “Our target is to raise £650,000 in this Anniversary year both to guarantee the immediate future and to provide bursaries to help those brilliant-but-less-privileged children who come to NCO every year.
“We have also launched a £5 million fundraising campaign to establish a permanent endowment fund to prevent this situation ever happening again. The children have responded superbly to the call to help their fellow musicians by organising fundraising concerts, busking, bag-packing in supermarkets and so on. Two of our amazing musicians have raised over £3000 each!.”
To find out more about the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain or see how you can get involved with the fundraising visit www.nco.org.uk or call Liz Jones on 01934 418855.
