The ICONS Concert Series: Rebuilding Youth Music in Canberra

In the midst of the well-publicised demise of the Arts program at the Australian National University (ANU), there is one young orchestra looking to buck the trend of local artists leaving Canberra to further their careers.

The Canberra Youth Orchestra (CYO) is a group of mostly 17 to 23 year old musicians who are looking to have a big year in 2016, having boosted their membership to over 60 participants. So what’s the big plan to boost their profile and interest in classical music in Canberra?

This year the orchestra will partake in a four part concert series entitled ICONS featuring internationally acclaimed soloists who provide an invaluable experience for the young performers. These soloists include Soprano Louise Page OAM, American pianists Drs Edward and Stephanie Neeman as well as young performers from the School of Music.

The first part of the series took place on Sunday 3 April 2016. The prospect of watching Louise Page sing alongside the CYO brought a bumper crowd of 650 people to Llewelyn Hall. This is roughly four to five times the usual CYO crowd and clearly came as a surprise to organisers with queues out the door and a delayed start required to fit everybody into the cavernous venue.

CYO Conductor Leonard Weiss says that the opportunity to play alongside professional standard musicians is invaluable for his young orchestra.

“Musically, working with soloists offers a unique challenge for an orchestra, particularly in the arias which we performed as they are very flexible pieces,” said Weiss.

“I know that many of our CYO performers also perform in musicals around Canberra, and realistically there are numerous theatre and opera companies worldwide looking for musicians with those skills.”

CYO has forged new links with the School of Music this year which has seen the orchestra’s program used as university assessment for some members. Weiss, a nominee for ACT Australian of the Year for 2016, believes the stronger connection between CYO and the School of Music will greatly benefit his orchestra and its members.

“We are in the wonderful position of being a flagship ensemble at the ANU School of Music this year; 7 of our musicians are being assessed on their performance in CYO as part of their degree, and the Friends of the ANU School of Music is sponsoring the membership of a further handful of ANU students” said Weiss. “It is fantastic to see a stronger connection between the academic programs offered at the ANU and the rigorous orchestral performance experience which CYO offers.”

Part two of the ICONS concert series featuring Edward and Stephanie Neeman takes place on Sunday 26 June and will see the orchestra tackle Czech maestro Antonin Dvorak. For anyone looking for an alternative Sunday night and an opportunity to support the next generation of Canberra musicians, CYO’s ICONS series is well worth the price of admission.