LYWB Tour, Belgium
CYM kicked off the last academic year with its’ traditional Activities Day, led by the vibrant Kinetika Bloco, where students from Year 3 to Year 14 had the opportunity to play wind, brass, samba, and steel pans, fostering a sense of community and excitement for the year ahead.
In an exciting highlight, CYM had one student performing at the English National Opera’s Turn of the Screw, showcasing the talent nurtured at CYM
The Autumn term concluded with a series of festive performances, including a pop-up choir formed of both students and parents. It was great to see new students and staff fully integrated and settled in.
On 14 January 2025, the new 2024-25 LSSO cohort gave their first performance following their winter course under the baton of conductor Matthew Lynch. The programme featured:
- Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
- Ian Venables’ Venetian Songs (orchestrated by Matthew Lynch), performed by soloist Alessandro Fisher.
- Holst’s The Planets Suite.
The orchestra included over 100 players and a choir drawn from Guildhall and Junior Guildhall. The auditorium also felt very full, with strong attendance from parents, friends and school groups.
Other Spring term’s special activities included:
- A student composition workshop and performance with clarinettist Heather Roche; a jazz trio workshop for piano students with Sam Ingvorsen (bass) and Will Cleasby (drums); a side-by-side session with the Trinity Laban Big Band.
- Annual Piano Duet Day, helping piano students develop ensemble skills.
- Chamber Concert at St Gabriel’s. Pimlico.
- Annual Concert at Goldsmiths, University of London.
LSSO Tour, Yorkshire
All the above were joyous and successful events, showcasing the students’ talents and the breadth of the CYM offer.
In February Geoff Harniess co-led the LYWB Spring course alongside Sam Bullard (CYM Head of Wind and Brass) with a varied programme featuring music from Bartók to Stevie Wonder, culminating in a lively and well-received concert.
The LSSO Spring Course was led by Christopher Warren-Green, with support from Ammal Bhatia, and centred on the theme of migration.
The programme included:
- Stravinsky – Suite from The Firebird (1919)
- Reena Esmail – Ram Tori Maya, featuring vocal soloist Abira Shah
- Graham Fitkin – Metal
- Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”
Three of these pieces featured again in a special Carnegie Hall Link Up concert on Wednesday 23rd April. This participatory event brought together several hundred primary school children to sing and play alongside LSSO – a fun and inspirational experience for all involved.
The Summer term and academic year ended with the usual celebratory day of performances, including a special Symphony Orchestra concert at St Peter’s Vauxhall, featuring Wagner’s Die Meistersinger and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.
Other summer highlights included:
A bassoon reed-making workshop led by Stuart Russell
- A masterclass with Levon Chilingirian
- A combined Choirs Concert
- Premieres of new works for wind quintet, written by our advanced composition students and performed by undergraduates at the GSMD.
- The Louis Watt Competition (now renamed the Louis and Norma Watt Competition) showcased three outstanding finalists: Vika (soprano), Yusuf (flute), and Jose (clarinet). Jose was named winner by adjudicator Linton Stephens (Chineke!, BBC Radio 3).
- Over 70 students took part in CYM’s joyful Primary Years Summer Concert at Amigo Hall. With a growing cohort, the Primary Years Programme will expand in 2025–26 and a new Head of Department has been appointed to support this growth.
LSSO Tour, Yorkshire
LYWB Summer Tour to Belgium
This summer, the London Youth Wind Band enjoyed a memorable tour to Belgium, performing to their largest-ever audience of over 400 people as part of the Ghent Festival. Alongside this highlight, the band also gave concerts in Mechelen and Ostend, where they entertained crowds from a seaside bandstand with Strauss waltzes and lively audience participation.
The tour was directed by Julie Beaman, with sectional coaching from Sam Bullard and Geoff Harniess. Between concerts, students enjoyed a packed social programme including a seaside trip, bowling, and a canal boat tour.
The week concluded back in London with a final performance at St Luke’s Chelsea, rounding off a fantastic tour full of music, friendship, and new experiences.
LSSO Tour to Yorkshire
The London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO), conducted by Matthew Coorey, recently toured Yorkshire and the Midlands, giving concerts in Beverley, Ripon, and Birmingham. Their programme — inspired by the theme “places physical to places imagined” — featured Sibelius’ Finlandia, Lyadov’s The Enchanted Lake, Peter Sculthorpe’s Kakadu, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
While in Yorkshire, the orchestra also took time to explore historic York and enjoy the natural beauty of Bolton Abbey.
And finally, here is a short film A Day in the Life at CYM [Click Here].