National Youth Orchestras Of Scotland Announces New Fund To Raise £20,000 In Honour Of Richard Chester MBE

The National Youth Orchestras of Scotland (NYOS) has today, 9 May, announced the launch of a new fund to create inspirational, world-class opportunities for aspiring young musicians. Based on the principles of commitment and excellence on which NYOS was founded, the Richard Chester Creativity Fund honours the life and legacy of Richard Chester MBE, the visionary Director of NYOS from 1987 to 2007 who sadly passed away in 2020.

As NYOS evolves to fulfil the needs of a new generation of musicians, the Richard Chester Creativity Fund aims to honour Richard's exceptional leadership and lifelong dedication to music by raising £20,000 for NYOS in his memory. One of the projects that will benefit from the fund is NYOS Camerata, a pre-professional chamber ensemble for musicians aged 18-25. Bridging the gap between youth orchestra and professional ensemble, NYOS Camerata provides opportunities for exceptional young musicians through a range of performances and collaborations, working alongside inspiring professional musicians.

NYOS Chief Executive, Kirsteen Davidson Kelly, said: Richard launched NYOS Camerata in the 1990's to create prestigious opportunities for orchestra members at a pivotal point in their musical development. Having played such a significant role in the lives of so many young people in Scotland, we aim to relaunch NYOS Camerata in 2024 with support from the new fund. We would like to thank the Chester family for their continued support and look forward to continuing Richard's legacy to nurture, celebrate and widen access to outstanding youth orchestras, inspiring young people to realise their potential.

To celebrate the launch of the fund, NYOS Symphony Orchestra will perform alongside guest soloist, violinist Elena Urioste, in Perth Concert Hall on 15 July. Conducted by Martyn Brabbins, the current Music Director for English National Opera, the programme features music from Strauss, Elgar and Coleridge-Taylor. An avid chamber musician, Elena is the founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music by the Sea, and co-director of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, appointed Associate Ensemble at Wigmore Hall in 2020.

Richard Chester had a long and distinguished career, latterly as principal flautist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, performing in many chamber groups and as a soloist at home and abroad. His passion and influence reached generations of young Scottish musicians as he grew NYOS from its early foundations to an internationally recognised training ground for aspiring instrumentalists including Nicola Benedetti, Colin Currie, Evelyn Glennie, Rory Macdonald and Sean Shibe.

Tickets to the summer concerts in Aberdeen, Perth and Edinburgh can be purchased via Performances (nyos.co.uk) and those wishing to find out more, or donate to the Richard Chester Creativity Fund, can do so via www.nyos.co.uk/news/the-richard-chester-creativity-fund.

Summer Concerts

NYOS Symphony Orchestra
14 July 19:30
Music Hall, Aberdeen
NYOS Symphony Orchestra conducted by the current Music Director of the English National Opera, Martyn Brabbins. Joined by acclaimed violinist Elena Urioste for Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto. The programme features Elgar and Strauss, and as part of our commitment to championing contemporary Scottish composers, NYOS presents the première of the full orchestral version of Claire McCue's In Pursuit, a vibrant concerto for two trombones and orchestra.
Programme
Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel
Coleridge-Taylor, Violin Concerto, Op.80
Claire McCue, In Pursuit
Elgar, In the South (Alassio), Op.50
Conductor, Martyn Brabbins
Soloist, Elena Urioste, violin

NYOS Symphony Orchestra
15 July 19:30
Perth Concert Hall, Perth
NYOS Symphony Orchestra conducted by the current Music Director of the English National Opera, Martyn Brabbins. Joined by acclaimed violinist Elena Urioste for Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto. The programme features Elgar and Strauss, and as part of our commitment to championing contemporary Scottish composers, NYOS presents the full orchestral version of Claire McCue's In Pursuit, a vibrant concerto for two trombones and orchestra. This concert is dedicated to the memory of Richard Chester MBE, as we launch The Richard Chester Fund to celebrate his legacy and lifelong dedication to music.
Programme
Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel
Coleridge-Taylor, Violin Concerto, Op.80
Claire McCue, In Pursuit
Elgar, In the South (Alassio), Op.50
Conductor, Martyn Brabbins
Soloist, Elena Urioste, violin

NYOS Development Orchestra
28 July 19:30
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh
NYOS Development Orchestra performs Inocente Carreño's Margariteña, a work that inhabits a unique sound-world combining the rich orchestral textures and harmonies of the musical impressionist movement with the melodies and rhythms of his native Venezuelan folk music. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, a work brimming with emotional drama and unforgettable melodies. The Development Orchestra prepares many young musicians for a successful future audition for NYOS Symphony Orchestra and, most importantly, provides a fantastic opportunity for all its members to enjoy playing challenging orchestral repertoire with peers from across Scotland.
Programme
Innocente Carreño, Margariteña Glosa Sinfónica
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony, no.5, E minor, op.64
Conductor, Natalia Luis-Bassa

NYOS nurtures and celebrates outstanding classical youth music-making, with a vision of all Scotland's communities sharing in its social, personal and cultural benefits.

Through our three programme strands - NYOS Engage, NYOS Ensembles and NYOS Futures - we offer accessible, co-created projects, world-class orchestral training and performances, and unique career development opportunities. Our work is delivered by internationally renowned artists and exceptional tutors. Creativity, ambition, community and fun are fundamental to all we do.

To post a comment, you must register and login.