On Monday 9th November, our music theatre group, Guys and Dolls, performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Music for Youth Proms. Directed by Jemma Adams, the group was one of twelve chosen to appear on the opening night, alongside ensembles from across the country. The evening featured more than 1,000 young musicians. The company’s programme was two numbers: “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Irving Berlin and “Opening Up” from Waitress, with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles.
The invitation came after a national selection process that considers thousands of young musicians across the UK. To be among the groups on that stage is a genuine achievement, and it reflects the standard of music-making our young people reach week after week, and the commitment of the colleagues who rehearse with them. The evening also featured the Proms Creative Project, a collaboration between Music for Youth, BBC Ten Pieces, ABRSM and the Royal Albert Hall. A massed ensemble of young musicians performed three works: a new commission from James B. Wilson inspired by NASA’s Artemis missions, with a poem by Wales’ Children’s Laureate Alex Wharton; a special arrangement of Jacob Collier’s Something Heavy for BBC Get Singing; and Charlotte Harding’s The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide.
For the young people in Guys & Dolls, this was a first taste of a national stage and a very different room from the ones they know. Performing in front of an audience of that size, in a hall with that history, asks something of a company: focus, teamwork and the confidence to trust the work they have put in. They met it.
Our thanks go to Jemma Adams and to everyone who rehearsed, travelled, chaperoned and cheered. Thanks also to Music for Youth for the invitation, and to the families and colleagues who made the trip possible. As lead partner of the Northamptonshire and Rutland Music Hub, we are proud to work with local and national partners to create opportunities like this for children and young people, and to keep building the pathways that lead from a first rehearsal to a night at the Royal Albert Hall.
If your child is interested in music theatre or any of our ensembles, do get in touch. The next opportunity to join may be closer than you think.
