Member of the Youth Orchestra
About us
The Grand Union Youth Orchestra of East London was founded in 2007 by the Grand Union Orchestra as a means of passing on a highly original legacy of music created over the past twenty-five years.
Youth Orchestra awarded Inspire Mark!
The International Olympic Committee has awarded its prestigious Inspire Mark to GUYOEL in recognition of its contribution to the Cultural Olympiad.
Our Young Musicians
Regular GUYO members range in age from 15 to 25, although in exceptional circumstances we do take younger players. Their (or their families’) countries of origin include Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, India, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, South Africa, East Africa and China as well as East End born and bred.
The range of instruments they play is equally wide, so in a typical Grand Union Youth Orchestra performance you are likely to hear:
saz, ney, oud, sitar, sarangi, Indian violin, tabla, dholak, dhol, panpipes steel pan, marimba. vibraphone, concert harp, violin, cello, double bass flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, harmonium guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, congas, djembe, Latin percussion, kit drums
…though not all may appear at every event!
Workshops and performances
The Grand Union Orchestra is a national touring organisation with an international profile, but based in the East End. We move around across the whole of East London recruiting young musicians, running workshops and rehearsals and giving regular performances. Wherever you live - from the Angel to Hornchurch, Barking to the Isle of Dogs! - we’ve got something going on in your area. Grand Union’s professional musicians – all internationally-known exponents of many styles of world music – act as workshop tutors, passing on their own particular expertise.
Grand Union musicians also lead the Youth Orchestra in performance, and all workshops and residencies culminate in a performance that is open to the general public. In addition, both ensembles are increasingly being invited to give performances across the East End, in venues like the Hackney Empire and Stratford Circus, community centres and in local festivals.
The music
The GUYO repertoire, created and rehearsed in over 60 workshop sessions so far, is continually developing and expanding. It includes a arrangements of world music ‘standards’, original music, material adapted from Tony Haynes’s music for the Grand Union Orchestra, and contributions and compositions by the Orchestra members themselves.