“The experience of watching and listening to NOYO is not just that of a concert, but instead it is a celebration of equity, inclusion, and joy.” Cass Alabaster (NOYO viola, violin), 2026 BBC Proms guide
We’re so incredibly thrilled and proud to share that the National Open Youth Orchestra – composed of 18 musicians from our five regional NOYO Ensembles, will be part of the iconic BBC Proms this year. We’ll be joined on stage by thirteen guest musicians from our partner BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), for three relaxed concerts in Cardiff, London (schools concert) and finally, Bristol Beacon as part of the BBC Proms – under the baton of formidable conductor Alice Farnham.
#ThisIsOurOrchestra, the theme of our tour, was born from our collaboration with composer Charlotte Harding who wrote a new piece for us, co-commissioned with the BBC: The Orchestra: a Young Person’s Guide, reimagining Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Bea Hubble, NOYO Artistic Lead says: “Musicians have a say in the direction of the orchestra. When asked what mattered to them, they said they wanted to reach other young disabled people, to let them know that music and orchestras could be for them – something they didn’t feel throughout their own education. They also wanted to show the orchestral world and audiences they had their rightful place in it, by sharing beautiful music. And what a wonderful way to do this now, through the premiere of this commission, performed at the BBC Proms. As we celebrate Britten’s anniversary – 2026 is 50th anniversary of his death…, our version is young people showing everyone what an orchestra can evolve to be, and why this is a good thing.”
Charlotte Harding says: “This piece is an all-out celebration of the 21st century orchestra; its rich past, present energy, and the infinite sonic possibility it holds for the future. It has been a huge privilege to collaborate with NOYO and to explore together what an orchestra can mean to young people today. Their contemporary electronic-acoustic language, boundless creativity, and deep sense of community have fuelled this reimagining, and I am so excited to invite audiences to experience ‘our orchestra’ this summer! It’s a symphonic celebration of all that we are; an open invitation to all play our part, a universal language of joy and endeavour; that moves us most when we are tutti, together.”
Join us to hear a wide-ranging mix of sounds and instruments, from strings, brass and harp to accordion, saxophones, synthesisers and the Clarion, which Evie Read will play with her hand and NOYO alumnus and soloist Alessandro Vazzana with head movement.
Alongside Charlotte Harding’s new commission, we will perform selections from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Florence Price’s Juba Dance, Michael Betteridge’s Soaring Through Sparks (featuring soloist Alessandro Vazzana), and Barriers by NOYO alumnus Oliver Cross, a work reflecting on access and belonging in music.
Book your tickets:
#ThisIsOurOrchestra tour:
30th June 2026, 3pm – Barbican Centre, London (Register to attend our schools concert)
30th July 2026, 3pm – Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff. Buy your Cardiff concert ticket.
9th August 2026, 3.30pm – BBC Proms, Bristol Beacon. Buy your Bristol ticket (Box office live from midday 21 April 2026).
Photo credit @Soul Media. Picture taken for the launch of the BBC Proms at Bristol Beacon.