LPO Junior Artists expands

LPO Junior Artists with conductor Rebecca Miller

The London Philharmonic Orchestra's scheme to reach young players in communities under represented in professional UK orchestras, the LPO Junior Artists scheme, has just completed a highly successful pilot year. And the good news is that, thanks to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the scheme is not only continuing but expanding to include a new strand for younger students. The foundation has allocated £30,000 over three years, to help the orchestra continue and expand its vital work promoting diversity and inclusion among UK professional orchestral musicians and within their administrations.

For the pilot phase of the programme, the 2016/17 Junior Artists were offered four individual lessons with their LPO mentors, a mock audition with feedback from LPO musicians and rehearsal and concert visits. Alongside this, the they took part in Insight sessions on the orchestral profession, conservatoires and solo performance (including a discussion with soprano Angel Blue, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and conductor Rebecca Miller), plus skills development sessions.

This year the orchestra teamed up with music services, junior conservatoires and teachers across London to nominate talented young musicians to audition. Eight Junior Artists have now been recruited for 2017/18, (Sehyogue Aulakh, Uma Baron, Shona Beecham, William Campbell, Elodie Chousmer-Howelles, Rianna Henriques, Nolitha Olusanya and Meera Patel), with full activities running from September to June 2017. This part of the scheme is for musicians aged 15 to 19, and the new LPO Junior Artists: Overture will offer musicians aged 11 to 14 the opportunity to meet the Orchestra, develop their skills and build their understanding of progression routes available to them, including three Overture Weekend Days in Brighton and London.