WHAT'S ON

Musicians from the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra will undertake a 12 day music tour of the United Kingdom from 10^th to 21^st October 2023. Formed in 2018 in partnership with the Kanneh-Mason family, the current ABYSO is celebrating 5 years of musicmaking. 

The tour will begin with the exciting launch of a new partnership between the ABYSO and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). This partnership will bring together ABYSO’s aspiring young musicians with RPO professionals to develop cross-cultural musical experiences in both the UK and Caribbean. 

The ABYSO touring musicians will benefit from open rehearsal opportunities and instrument and sectional coaching sessions with RPO principals. They will have the opportunity to perform pre-concert for public audiences at Cadogan Hall. Musicians will also participate in a creative workshop to produce a brand-new piece of music led by award winning composer James Redwood.  The musicians will also collaborate in a two-day project bringing together ABYSO with young musicians in the Brent Youth Concert Pops Orchestra (BYCPO). The RPO sessions will end with a concert on 15^th October in The Duke’s Hall at the world-renowned Royal Academy of Music in London. This concert will include steelpan player Khan Cordice, saxophonist Jess Gillam, RPO musicians, the BYCPO and members of the Kanneh-Mason family.

The tour will next take the ABYSO to the historic Christ Church Cathedral at Oxford University. The ABYSO will perform with the choristers of Christ Church Cathedral School (CCCS) on Sunday 16^th October. CCCS has developed a close relationship with Antigua and Barbuda over the years.  The National Youth Choir performed at the school during their UK tour in 2019. CCCS also raised funds to support the Red Cross Barbuda hurricane relief effort in 2017.  Tutors from the school, led by Director of Music Sophie Biddell, have mentored ABYSO musicians. After the performance, the ABYSO will have lunch at the College followed by a tour led by Antiguan student Ianthe Fraser who is currently studying at Oxford.

The ABYSO will then travel to Jersey, Channel Islands, as the guests of the Jersey Music Service. Antigua and Barbuda and Jersey continue to build close ties in hospitality, cricket and cultural exchanges. The ABYSO visit will be part of the Jersey Music Service’s plan to re-launch a youth orchestral programme on that Island. The concert in Jersey will be held on 18^th October at Les Quennevias School.