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IAYO limited Civic Trust House, 50 Pope s Quay, Cork, Ireland. Telephone:: 353 21 421 5185 Fax: 353 21 421 5193 Email: info@iayo.ie Website: www.iayo.ie D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 I s s u e 7 1 The viola section of the Laois School of Music and Lír Orchestra tune up at the 14th Festival. 20 Years of IAYO The Festival of Youth Orchestras has been a landmark event in the calendar of Irish youth orchestras ever since its inception, and now we are delighted to be preparing for the celebrations of its twentieth year! IAYO are extremely proud to say that we represent over 5,000 young musicians in 108 youth orchestras in Ireland. It is great to see the world of youth orchestras constantly developing and expanding in Ireland, and we hope that the Festival of Youth Orchestras can provide just a small glimpse into the outstanding potential that young players possess throughout the country. As you will read further in this newsletter, we are working towards making the 20th Festival a landmark event that celebrates not only how far youth orchestras have come, but that shows the potential of future generations. We are doing this through our Ambassador s Programme that will highlight the achievements that previous players have attained and through our Festival Fringe, which will display the talents of the current generation of young players. And of course not forgetting the Festival itself! We are hoping that the Ambassador Programme will not only inspire today s generation of musicians to keep working hard, but that it will exhibit just how important youth orchestras are in Ireland. The Festival Fringe will showcase the diverse talents of orchestras around the country and it will also show interesting collaborations, both international (with visiting orchestras) and musically (for example, with opera singers). Overall, we are very excited to be celebrating 20 years and we can t wait to be celebrating 20 more! We look forward to seeing everyone getting involved with the Festival and all of the Fringe events. The cover of the programme for the first ever Festival of Youth Orchestras Eoin Cambay and Elodie Mooney at the launch of the 11th Festival in 2006

Ambassador Programme As 2015 sees the landmark 20th Festival of Youth Orchestras, we are running an Ambassador Programme in the months preceding the Festival to create awareness of the event around the country and also to showcase the vast amount of talent that has come through the festival in previous years. Starting in December, a featured Ambassador will be promoted via our website and email. They will be talking about their experiences with the Festival and youth orchestras in general and also about their current musical careers. We are very excited to have an outstanding group of people including Brian O Kane, David Wallace and Michelle Fleming among our Ambassadors representing the Festival. Keep an eye on www.iayo.ie in the coming weeks for more information! Pictured Right: Eoin Schmidt-Martin and Michelle Fleming, both of The Carducci Quartet. Pictured Below: A snippet of what to expect from the website featuring Ambassador and orchestra information. Pictured Above: Vincent Varley Pictured Above: David Wallace, Katie McGuinness (L), Ruth O Leary (R)

Festival Fringe As part of the celebrations for the 20th Festival, we are organising a Festival Fringe. This will see a number of events from various youth orchestras throughout the country in the weeks around the Festival itself. It is a great way to get involved with the Festival and to explore the different avenues of performance that youth orchestras can take. Special offers for members will be circulated via email for these events in the coming weeks. Here we have listed the events organised so far: Cornell University Symphony Orchestra with members of the Royal Irish Academy of Music Pictured Above Cornell University Orchestra from New York will be collaborating with members of RIAM to perform Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler and a concerto yet to be confirmed. It will be conducted by James Cavanagh and Chris Kim. The event will take place on January 18 at 6pm in St Andrew s Church, Westland Row, Dublin. Tickets cost 10 / 5 concession and can be purchased on the door. DIT Symphony Orchestra Breaking New Ground The DIT Symphony Orchestra will be accompanying the college s opera students as they perform a modern opera, Breaking New Ground, composed by Andrew Synnott who is a PhD student at the Conservatory. The Orchestra will also open up the concert with a prelude performance of the first symphony ever composed in Ireland, Grand Symphony for a Full Orchestra by George Alday. This unique collaboration conducted by Keith Pascoe will take place on 20 January at the National Concert Hall at 8pm. Tickets cost 20 / 15 concession and can be purchased from www.nch.ie St Canice s Teddy Bear Pyjama Concert St Canice s National School are holding a special concert for their pupils and parents, in which the children playing will be wearing their pyjamas and the children invited to attend can do the same and also bring a teddy along. The concert is set for January and is expected to be a fun way for the kids to interact with the orchestra. will see them perform 8 individual pieces composed by members of the orchestra, that they have been working on with the composer Brian Irvine, visiting composers and conductors, along with their own conductor Fergus Sheil. The orchestra will also perform the Overture from the musical Show Boat, Haydn s Symphony No. 100 and a Mozart Piano Concerto No 21. Tickets can be purchased from solsticeartscentre.ie or 046 9092300. Carlow Youth Orchestra and the Wexford School of Music The Carlow Junior Orchestra, under the direction of Sorcha Russell, will collaborate with the Wexford School of Music Dynamix Orchestra and their conductor Emer Collins on February 1 in Askea Parish Centre, Carlow. This will also mark the start of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Carlow College of Music. St Agnes and St Ultan s with Belvedere College Belvedere College will host St Agnes and St Ultan s on February 3 at 11am and all three ensembles will be playing. Athenry Youth Orchestra The Athenry Youth Orchestra will perform concerts on 17-18 February as part of the Sixmilebridge Folk Festival. They will be accompanied by guest composer Brian Walsh (Guitar) Young Dublin Symphonia Young Dublin Symphonia will be performing Haydn s Symphony No. 3 Finale arranged by Sandra Dackow and dedicated to the memory of Agnes O Kane. The event takes place at 1pm on February 19 in St Ann s Church, Dublin. Donegal Youth Orchestra The weekend of the 21-23 February will see the Donegal Youth Orchestra play host to two Youth Orchestras. Julianstown Senior Orchestra Pictured below right September saw major structural changes within the JYO, with the orchestra splitting into two main groups - a Senior Orchestra which is made up of mostly players in secondary school and a Junior Orchestra, largely for primary school aged players. The Senior Orchestra will be playing in the Solstice Theatre in Navan, Co Meath on 23 January. This is an exciting performance because it

10th European Orchestra Festival for Youth and Amateur Orchestras The 10th European Orchestra Festival of EOFed will be held from June 4 to June 7 in the City of Cremona, Italy. This unique Festival consists of performances by visiting orchestras and by workshop orchestras in a variety of genres in which all orchestra members can take part. The deadline for online registration is November 30th, 2014. The registration form will be published on the EOFed home page in October 2014 and will include the rules and conditions of the event. Mayo Youth Orchestra in Vienna On July 24th this year Mayo Youth Orchestra embarked on a 5-day tour to sunny Vienna to participate in the One Future festival. They were formally welcomed at an opening ceremony in the beautiful City Hall. Musicians got the chance of once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a master class with Professor Helmut Zehetner, violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Professor of Orchestral and Conducting Studies in the University of Music, Vienna. Over the course of the 5 days, the young musicians visited many of the historic sites such as St. Stephen s Cathedral (Stephansdom) where Mozart was baptised, married and eventually his remains were brought on his death, and the famous golden Strauss Monument in the Stadtpark (pictured). Attendance at a Viennese barbecue, which transformed into a Ceilí and saw the start of many intercultural friendships and sharing of musical traditions with the Chinese orchestras learning the Siege of Ennis! The highlight of the trip was a performance in the glorious Golden Hall, Musikverein famed for its annual televised New Year s Day concert. The orchestra gave a polished and memorable performance and were awarded honours for Conducting and Organisation. Prof. Zehetner praised the association that enabled a rural Irish orchestra to perform on the International stage. Mayo Youth Orchestra exchanged gifts and established a Friendship exchange with Northwest Normal University, Shanghai which will see the Chinese orchestra travel to Ireland in 2016 with a return by the Irish orchestra the following year. Exciting times ahead for Mayo Youth Orchestra! Words by Anne Moriarty More News More Detail More Often iayo.ie/newsnotes Information on E-Vetting What is E-Vetting? E-Vetting provides an on line application process, which replaces the current paper vetting form. The vetting process, whereby applications are processed from the vetting subject, via the Authorised Signatory (NYCI Consortium) remains largely the same. When will it be introduced? The introduction of E-Vetting is subject to the commencement of the Garda Vetting Bureau Act, which is expected on 1st December 2014. When the Act is commenced, members of the E-Vetting Pilot Group will be invited to submit applications using the new on line system, and the remaining sectors will follow in the coming months. NYCI s Youth Work Garda Vetting Consortium is a member of the E- Vetting Pilot Group and will therefore be inviting you to submit your E-Vetting following commencement of this legislation. How will E-Vetting Work? The process of E -Vetting is outlined below. More detailed instructions will follow for the employing organisation and for the vetting applicant. The recruiting organisation issues the Vetting Invitation to their applicant, as part of their recruitment process. This form requires the applicant to provide their name, date of birth, email address, contact number, job role being applied for and their current address. The applicant completes and signs the form, and provides proof of identification to their employing organisation. The employing organisation transfers this information onto a spreadsheet and emails/ posts this to NYCI s Youth Work Consortium Liaison Persons (LP s) - previously known as Authorised Signatories. NYCI s LP s issues an email invitation to each applicant requesting them to complete the E- Vetting application form on line. The email will contain instructions as to what will be required i.e. any other names, all other addresses, their passport number (optional), mother s maiden name and details of any relevant disclosures. The Applicant receives this email and completes and submits the on line form. This must be completed within 30 days of the applicants receipt of email, or the process will need to begin again. The LP in NYCI receives the completed form from the applicant, reviews and submits it to the Vetting Unit. The applicant receives an email from the Vetting Bureau acknowledging receipt of the vetting application from NYCI. The Vetting Bureau carries out their vetting checks on the applicant. The LP in NYCI receives email notification from the Vetting Bureau when the vetting process is complete. The vetting applicant also receives email notification from the Vetting Bureau that the vetting check is complete. The LP in NYCI draws down the completed vet (disclosure) from the Vetting Bureau and forwards it to the employing organisation. The employing organisation follows their own decision making process regarding the suitability of the applicant.

Irish Youth Wind Ensemble Saturday 15th - Saturday 22nd August 2015* Applications are invited for all Woodwind, Brass and Percussion Instruments New Year Gala Applicants must be aged between 16 and 25 and must have a minimum of Grade 6 standard. Apply online at www.iywe.ie *(Final course dates tbc depending on concert dates) The National Concert Hall has launched the results of a recent report on the Primary Strings Project, an initiative which allows every child in the classroom the opportunity to learn an instrument, during school time. It revealed that children having access to instrumental music tuition (generally confined to after-school, fee-paying provision) leads to improvement in their confidence and self-esteem. 2,000 children in 23 schools (mostly DEIS schools) have had the opportunity to participate in the programme. 8 of these schools now have a school orchestra. The percentage of children learning a musical instrument in these DEIS schools was 0.7% before the project, now it is 24% significantly above the national average. One entire class in North Dublin performed at Dublin Airport, while another were guests at the Dublin Airport Authority annual music festival. Through music, these schools have been able to link into the wider community and the project has brought a symbol of high musical status to each school involved Simon Taylor CEO of the National Concert Hall said The National Concert Hall was delighted to support this innovative and inspiring project. Increasing access to music is at the core of what we do and the Primary String Project has demonstrated that quality instrumental tuition can be delivered in a classroom setting. The effects of such tuition go well beyond the acquisition of musical skills too, having a tangible and demonstrable educational benefit for the child and a social dividend for the school and the wider community. You can download a copy of the report from the NCH website or the IAYO Website. It s easiest to Google national concert hall strings project report and look for [pdf] before the link title. For hard copies of the report you can contact Nigel Flegg (Head of Education, Community and Outreach at the National Concert Hall). Sunday, 4th January 2015 3pm The National Concert Hall Conductor: Gearoid Grant Soloist: Les Neish (Tuba) Tubby the Tuba, (Tripp/Kleinsinger) Concerto for Bass Tuba 2nd mvt. (Williams) Czardas (Monti) Symphony No. 7 in D minor (Dvořák) Prices: 18 (Concession: 13) Children under 18: 9 10% discount for Friends of the NCH 10% discount for Groups of 10 or more Box office: www.nch.ie or Telephone +353 (0)1 417 0000 www.nyoi.ie

Youth Orchestra Achievement Awards IAYO s Annual Youth Orchestra Achievement Awards are now open for applications. Two awards will be made at the 20th Festival of Youth Orchestras - Development of the Youth Orchestra and a Special Achievement Award. Both awards will carry an award of 500 to the winning orchestra. Details of how to apply are available on the IAYO website front page. Applications close at 2pm on Friday 10th January 2015. Agnes O Kane Award Pictured are members of the Young Irish Film Makers (YIFM) which is a national organisation providing workshops all over Ireland in film making and digital medi. Photo: Marc O'Sullivan National Youth Arts Showcase 2014 With the economy starting to show signs of recovery, Government must sustain and increase funding for young people s access to the arts, and recognise that access to the arts for young people is a right, not a privilege. That was the key message emerging from the National Youth Arts Showcase, which took place in the National Museum of Ireland on 25th September. The event organised by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) was opened by Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, TD and young people from around Ireland took the opportunity to speak directly to public representatives about their experiences of participating in the arts. Speaking at the event, Anne O Gorman of the NYCI Youth Arts Programme said: This annual event showcases the exceptional quality of youth arts activity happening throughout Ireland, and celebrates the contribution of young people to Irish society and our rich cultural heritage. The showcase also highlights that access to the arts for young people is a right, not a privilege. Our reputation as a nation of artists, writers, actors and musicians is disproportionate to our small size, and disproportionate to public funding investment. We want to ensure that the promotion of Ireland as a culturally rich society is a lived reality for all our young people, continued Ms O Gorman. Youth arts is where the next generation of artists find their voice, upon whom we depend to maintain our status as a leading nation for artistic and cultural endeavour, which makes a significant contribution to the cultural, social and economic well being of the country. IAYO and ConCorda Websites are now Mobile Friendly We have updated the IAYO and ConCorda websites courtesy of a free Wordpress theme so that they now reshape to the screen size of tablets and smartphones with folding menues and pop -out sidebars. The IAYO website is updated regularly with new articles of news from youth orchestras, information on courses for young players and training for orchestra organisers and artistic staff, funding opportunities and more. Find the improved sites at www.iayo.ie and www.concorda.ie. The Agnes O Kane Award is presented annually to a volunteer who has contributed to the growth of a youth orchestra or youth orchestras in Ireland and recognises the vital contribution that volunteers have had in the growth of youth orchestras over the last thirty years. If you would like to nominate a person for the award, please send a description of their activities in the area of youth orchestras, outlining why you think their work has been exceptional. Nominations should be two or three A4 pages and can be submitted by post or email to the IAYO office by Friday 19 December 2014 for the 2015 Festival. Charities Regulatory Authority is Launched The Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) is Ireland's national statutory regulatory agency for charitable organisations. The CRA was established on the 16th of October 2014 under the terms of the Charities Act 2009. It is an independent agency of the Department of Justice and Equality.The Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) is Ireland's national statutory regulatory agency for charitable organisations. If your charity was granted charitable tax exemption number by the Revenue Commissioners before the 16th of October 2014 and has a valid CHY number, it will be automatically registered with the CRA. If your charity was established before the 16th of October 2014 but doesn t have a valid CHY number from Revenue, it will not be automatically registered and you will need to apply to the CRA to have your charity registered. This application must be made before the 16th of April 2015. If you have a charity registered since 16th October, you will need to contact the CRA to register. Find out more about the Charities Regulatory Authority at www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie.

Touch Bass 2014 Music Generation Annual National Conference and Gala Concert hits the right note! Music Generation enjoyed two very informative and musical days at Dublin s National Concert Hall on 13th/14th October during its Annual National Conference and first Gala Concert. Encouraging participation in music education among young teens and redefining progression in music performance were some of the topics for discussion at the Music Generation Annual Conference which opened on Monday 13th October in the National Conference Hall, Dublin. The two day conference entitled Performance, Participation and Partnership: Looking to the Future, brought together national and international musicians and music educators to explore the important role that access to and participation in music education plays in nurturing youth engagement. Music Generation pioneers a socially inclusive model of music education that challenges traditional concepts of quality and progression for children and young people. Currently 75% of participation in Music Generation is among the 5-12 year old age group with the remaining 7.5% being the early years 0-4 cohort and 17.5% being from the13+ age group. One of the aims of the conference was to prompt a national rethink in the spheres of music education to nurture greater participation among the 13+ age group and move towards a re-evaluation of what performance and progression in music can mean for children and young people. Rosaleen Molloy, National Director of Music Generation said At Music Generation our philosophy is about promoting inclusive access and creating programmes that inspire and excite young people. We have found that children don t necessarily participate in music tuition because they are enthusiastic about practicing or excited about an end of term concert. The social experience of music making, having fun with friends and being able to experiment creatively through music, are some of the main reasons why children and young people stay with music. Almost 200 delegates took part in the conference over the course of two days with some 700 people attending the Gala Concert in the presence of guest of honour, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. The concert featured a total of 271 young performers from Louth, Mayo, Sligo and Cork City, while a further 85 young people took part in popup performances during the course of the conference, demonstrating some of the work that s taking place in the 11 Music Education Partnerships throughout the country. A further 44 young people participated in workshops on board the Music Generation Limerick City Mus Gen Express Bus which was parked outside the National Concert Hall for the duration of the event. Conference presentations and a short video of the event are available to view on Music Generation s website: www.musicgeneration.ie. Send Your News, Photos and Events to info@iayo.ie 28-30 December 2014 inclusive Kilkenny College, Kilkenny. Touch Bass is a free residential course for musicians aged 12-18 who play Bassoon, Trombone, Oboe, Double Bass or Viola. Supported by the Richardson- Smith Musical Trust, it aims to encourage rare-breed instrumentalists to improve their standard of performance. The Touch Bass course takes place alongside the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Winter Course and participation is free of charge. Instrumentalists of all abilities are welcome to apply. To apply, contact info@nyoi.ie or Carol-Ann McKenna, NYOI General Manager on 01 6169642 Closing date for applications: 9 December 2014 I r i s h A s s o c i a t i o n o f Y o u t h O r c h e s t r a s Conducting Workshops Directed by Robert Houlihan at the Royal Irish Academy of Music from Monday 06 - Friday 10 July 2015 To take part, contact IAYO 021 421 5185 info@iayo.ie www.iayo.ie

Now in its fourth year, the Waltons Music for Schools Competition is a national competition and celebration of music in Irish schools. The competition awards a total of 10,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments, accessories, books, music technology or PA equipment from Waltons Music, to be divided among six winning primary and post-primary schools, including two first prizes of 3,000 vouchers, and music groups from twelve finalist schools will have the opportunity to perform before their peers and distinguished adjudicators in the National Concert Hall on Monday, 11 May 2015! Find out more at www.newschool.ie. Catherine Judge Memorial Awards The Bank of Ireland Catherine Judge Memorial Award 2015 for Young Musicians is now open for applications until 12 January. The 2015 winner will receive a bursary of 5,500 to assist them with the costs of undertaking their third level music studies and their nominated school or music society will receive 1,200. The grand final will be on Saturday 18th April 2015 in the Great Hall in Queen s University, Belfast. For more information and to apply online, visit boicjma.com Annual Chamber Music course for participants aged 14-21 of Grade 5 and upwards. 14-24 August 2015, Kilkenny College Deadlines for application will be in May 2015 (dates to be confirmed) Please check for more information at www.concorda.ie or contact the IAYO office St Agnes Christmas Events St Agnes Primary School Orchestra are having a Christmas Market on 6 December from 11am to 3pm. The Christmas concert on 11 December is a real community event, with St Agnes Junior Orchestra, Parents Orchestra and Musical Society Chorus all joining in. Young European Strings Christmas Concert The Young European Strings School of Music present their Christmas concert on December 21 at 3pm in The Rotunda (Pillar Room), Dublin. It will feature performances of the Junior, Intermediate and Chamber Orchestras of the music school. There will be traditional Christmas carols and virtuoso pieces. A wine reception will follow the performances. Applications will open next week for Sky Academy Arts Scholarships 2015, in partnership with IdeasTap. Five artists will each receive 30,000 towards living costs and the development of an artistic project, as well as mentoring from senior Sky staff and the arts industry. The scholarships are open to artists aged 18-30. This year, four scholarships will be awarded to artists living in the UK, and one scholarship to an artist living in Ireland. The scholarships are designed to help emerging talent from a range of disciplines to develop their work and take their careers to the next level. Applications will close on 26th February 2015. Also, based on feedback from last year, artists can submit either a written or filmed application, so applicants can choose the format they feel most comfortable with and which best suits their work. Visit sky.com/academy/arts_scholarships to make an application. Email your news and photos to info@iayo.ie