Free for students and staff
Your invitation to join the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) and BBC National Orchestra of Wales (NOW) musicians
An event in partnership with Barbican and Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Schools can now register to take their students to our tour’s opening concert on Tuesday 30th June 2026, 2–3pm, at the Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS.
Fill out our registration of interest form by 30th March.
Don’t miss this opportunity for your students to experience orchestral music in a way that feels exciting, and genuinely for them. Up to twenty NOYO musicians will perform alongside thirteen BBC NOW musicians, celebrating creativity, diversity and musical possibilities!
- Watch a truly inclusive ensemble in which 80% of musicians are disabled or neurodivergent – a great way to discover there’s no single “right way” to be a musician.
- Familiarise yourself with an exciting range of instruments including the Clarion, which can be played with head movement.
- Engage with the music in a relaxed environment, with audience participation encouraged by NOYO musicians, and presentation by a young BBC TV personality.
- Try the Clarion before the concert begins.
To support learning, we will share free classroom resources in advance, inviting students to explore the orchestra, instruments and music ahead of their visit.
Programme
- Selections from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
- A powerful piece by former NOYO musician Oliver Cross
- Music from BBC Ten Pieces
- A bold, newly reimagined piece co-commissioned with the BBC and written especially for NOYO by Charlotte Harding
Who should attend?
- Special schools and SEND settings: the performance will be sensory-aware, flexible and welcoming, with adjustments in place to support disabled and neurodivergent audience members.
- Mainstream schools wanting to encourage a diverse culture of music, looking to enrich music, PSHE, or cultural learning.
- Mixed-ability groups and students who may not usually attend concerts.
Register now. We can’t wait to welcome you.