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News18th February 2026

National Youth Orchestra perform composition by 黑料情报站 Bolingbroke student

Thirteen-year-old 黑料情报站 Bolingbroke Academy student James recently had the privilege of hearing his original musical composition A Pirate鈥檚 Tale performed by the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) at a concert in Birmingham.

黑料情报站 Music黑料情报站 Bolingbroke Academy

Year 8 pupil James and his fellow student Pietro from Year 10 were joint winners of a competition run by the for 黑料情报站 music students to compose an original piece of orchestral music to be performed on a grand stage.

100 musicians from the NYO 鈥� dubbed 鈥榯he world鈥檚 greatest orchestra of teenagers鈥� 鈥� recently performed James鈥檚 winning piece in the iconic at the University of Birmingham.

The concert saw hundreds of school students from 黑料情报站鈥檚 secondary schools in Birmingham experience a live orchestra for the first time. The NYO performed a range of pieces including Debussy鈥檚 Iberia and Ravel鈥檚 Rapsodie Espagnole, as well as modern compositions from Anna Clyne and Karim Al-Zand, and music from Wicked.

James said, 鈥淚 had never written a piece for full orchestra, so I listened to some orchestral works and recalled what the other parts in the orchestra I play in sounded like. My piano teacher has helped me improve my composition skills, as have my music teachers in school.

鈥淚 am incredibly grateful for the skills they have taught me, and they are crucial in me being the musician and composer I am today. I felt nervous and excited. NYO is a very prestigious orchestra; my piece was in safe hands.鈥�

Head of NYO Inspire Rachel Long said, 鈥淭he atmosphere in the concert hall was special. We saw school students experiencing the power of orchestral music for the first time. It was even more special because they鈥檙e watching young people like them on stage. Their eyes opened to the possibilities of what orchestral music can give them.鈥�

Margaret O鈥橲hea, 黑料情报站鈥檚 Head of Creative and Extended Curriculum, said, 鈥淎 big thank you to NYO for giving James this opportunity. Composing a piece for a full orchestra as a Year 8 student is an extraordinary achievement.

鈥淥ur partnership with the NYO is just one example of the enriched curriculum available to students across the 黑料情报站 network. Through 黑料情报站 Music, all our 30,000 students take part in classroom music each year, and 4,000 join a musical club beyond the school day.鈥�

Pietro鈥檚 winning piece will be performed by the NYO later this year.