Beyond NYO
Today's NYO - Tomorrow's Talent
NYO Alumni
NYO players continue to achieve great things in their developing musical lives. Some earn places in the National Children’s Orchestra or National Youth Orchestra of GB and also take up music at leading music colleges and universities. For those heading towards different careers, we often hear that music making continues to be important for them. Here we share the successes of past NYO players in the music profession:
Mahaliah Edwards
Mahaliah (Mae) Edwards was a member and leader of all 3 NYO orchestras and, after studying at the Purcell School and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, returned to tutor NYIO in recent years. She continues to be an ambassador for inclusive music education and outreach work, and has a successful career as a performer.
Matt Glendening
NYO alumnus Matt Glendening was a Needham Scholarship winner and went on tour with NYO in 2012. He was recently appointed principal clarinettist with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
“The NYO certainly is a wonderful organisation which has had my eldest hooked ever since she began in the Training Orchestra 8 years ago. She continues her musical journey in September when she goes to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.”
— Fiona Coleman - Parent
Sheku Kanneh Mason MBE
Another alumnus is Sheku Kanneh Mason MBE, and NYO is proud to share Nottingham with the celebrated Kanneh-Mason family. Both Sheku and Braimah Kanneh-Mason started in NYTO, and more recently Sheku and Jeneba have performed concertos with senior NYO. Both concerts were a highlight for NYO youngsters and audience.
The link below takes you to the Join page where you can scroll down to Read Sheku’s message about his time in NYO.
Mark Lewandowski
Award winning jazz bassist and composer Mark Lewandowski has many fond memories of his time at NYO and NYJO. He studied at the Guildhall and New York’s prestigious Juilliard School and, whilst in London, became a frequent co-performer to mainstays of the British jazz scene. Since relocating to New York City, Mark has achieved an incredible list of performance credits including being a frequent member of the Wynton Marsalis quartet. He continues to tour internationally and has multiple recording credits.
If you don’t know about him, he’s one to look up!
Clare Hammond
Clare Hammond played in the NYIO and NYO as an oboist between 1995 and 2001, and gave her first two piano concerto performances with the orchestras. She has many fond memories of going on tour with NYO and made some close friendships that last to this day. Clare is now a concert pianist, was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society's 'Young Artist Award', and performs regularly in recital and with orchestras across Europe. She returned to Nottingham in March 2023 to perform Rachmaninov's Paganini Variations with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at The Royal Concert Hall. Read more about her work here.
More NYO Alumni
Read more about past players as they share their experiences since NYO in our 30th Anniversary Concert Programme.