Music for Youth By LARRY WESTLAND elcome to the seventh Schools Prom - the fust t.mder the banner of 'Music for Youth', the charity set up last year to manage and sponsor the National Festival of Music for Youth and the Schools Prom. Its members are the Association of Music Industries, Commercial Union Assurance, The Rank Organisation and the Times Educational Supplement. The first task for Music for Youth was to bring the National Festival to the South Bank Concert Halls from its previous home in Croydon. The move proved highly successful and over four thousand young musicians performed before the biggest audience we have ever had. Some 120 schools and music groups performed more than 300 different works, 30 of which were new compositions . The concert platforms of the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Puree]] Room proved the perfect setting for the boundless confidence and exuberance of these young performers. Thirty-two of the most outstanding ensembles from the National Festival are here with us at the 1982 series of Schools Prom concerts. There is so much to commend to you in these concerts, from the superbly intuitive and lyli cal bassoons of the Lady Manner School to the poise and musicality of young Simon Blendis and the Winchmore Hill Orchestra. Watch also for the grassroots infant and junior music-making of Towers Hill and the Lakes School from Cumbria. At the senior level we welcome the return of the accomplished and always exciting Doncaster Jazz Orchestra. We have also a suprisingly high number of performers new to the Schools Prom, 20 in all. A spedal word of welcome to the youth orchestras from Sheffield and Coventry appearing for the first time, as are the bands from Stourbridge Staffordshire and Sandwe11. As you will see from your programme, this year's Schools Prom offers what must be the m ost varied repertoire ever. Surprisingly, there is no Mozart and sadly, there are no foreign guests. Our plans to invite a group from West Africa did not bear fruit. We do, however, have some very special guests this year covering a very wide specu'UlU of musical performance. From the jazz and big band world we have two of its most famous personalities in Kenny Baker and Don Lusher. Kenny and Don will solo with individual groups on two days and come together on the third evening for a performance with the Doncaster Jazz Orchestra. From the concert world we have the distinguished young violinist, Nigel Kennedy, and the BBC Young Musician of the Year, Anna Markland. Nigel is to play the first movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Coventry Youth Orchestra. Anna will perform the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Merseyside Youth Orchestra. We are pleased and delighted to welcome to the Schools Prom for the fIrSt time a man whose career and talents cross all musical boundaries, composer and musician, Jacques Loussier. Jacques has for so long delighted audiences across the world and he embraces the whole spirit of the Schools Prom in the universality
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of his music. I am sure you will all join me in saying "Bienvenu" to this very special guest. As these Schools Prom concerts draw to a close on Wednesday evening, we must turn our minds to 1983 and a further year of Music for Youth. The programme begins on 1 March with a combined press launch and Festival audition. The regional auditions (or festivals) will follow in 19 other centres throughout the month. The prospectus and Entry Form for the 1983 National Festival has now been distributed to schools and music groups throughout the British Isles. The full year's programme is given below:
The 1983 National Festival of Music for Youth Regional Festivals/Auditions Sponsored by W H Smith Centre
Date
London Bedworth Aberystwyth Derby Barnet Barnet Southampton Guildford Brighton Exeter Glasgow Swindon Newcastle London Sheffield Leeds Manchester Birmingham Norwich Colchester
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 5 5 6 7 8 9
March
11 11
12 12 13 18 19 20 21 26 27
National Festival of Music for Youth at the South Bank Thursday 14 July Royal Festival Hall Friday 15 July Royal Festival Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall Saturday 16 July Royal Festival Hall
Purcell Room
Juniors at the National Festival Brass Bands Voices in Concert Wind Bands Secondary School Music Jazz at the South Bank School Orchestras Open Orchestras YOIC Rehearsal Youth Orchestras in Concert Chamber Music International Chamber Concert
1983 Schools Prom Royal Albert Hall- 21, 22, 23 November.
If Y OIl require details Dr an entry f orm for the 1983 National Festival, plelJSe sÂŁ'nd a stamped, addressed envelope to: Tire" "alioual Festival oJ Music Jor Youth 23a Kings Road, London SW3 4RP. o 3