Grand Union Youth
Orchestra of East London
and Urban Street Band
Five-minute introduction to the Grand Union Union Youth Orchestra of East London
Celebrating the launch of the Cultural Olympiad, Mayor of London's Open Rehearsal Weekend, St John's Church Bethnal Green, September 27th 2008
The Grand Union Youth Orchestra of East London is an ensemble of talented young musicians from East London between the ages of 15-25 who play an amazing range of instruments.
Blending Indian ragas and Turkish melodies with Latin rhythms and African drumming, with a pinch of jazz and European harmony thrown into the pot, this Youth Orchestra says “Yes!” to everything and makes it work. Immersed in elements of music that span the globe, this ensemble is outfitted with instruments from all cultures, including saz, sarangi, sitar and steel pans. Mix in a spicy percussion section of tabla, dhol, djembe and congas and serve it up with bluesy solos and riffs from brass, wind and strings – GUYO will turn your conception of ‘world music’ and ‘youth orchestra’ on its head.
In short, we are the only youth orchestra of our kind – in London, Great Britain, and quite probably the world! Players of both non-Western and traditional jazz/classical instruments are encouraged to join, and all our young musicians are involved in the creative processes of composing, arranging and improvising.
The Urban Street Band is a percussion-based ensemble for enthusiastic musicians who may be younger and/or less experienced than the Youth Orchestra members – players with a sense of rhythm and an interest in world music, but limited technique - and we can provide the instruments! And while everyone in this ensemble has a go at playing percussion, we also welcome those who want also to play their own brass and wind instruments – so the Urban Street Band is also a pathway into GUYO, and there are many musicians common to both groups.
There are many very good reasons why you might like to join one of these ensembles; you can find out more about the ensembles, the professional musicians you will learn from and other young musicians you will meet; or just come along to one of our open workshops or performances to see if this is the kind of music that you’d like to get involved in!
