VERITY PLAYS IN THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ORCHESTRA

I first heard about the National Children’s Orchestra when my brother Eric successfully auditioned to join in 2007. I attended all of his concerts and they were absolutely brilliant. I made up my mind that I wanted to join when I was older!

Last year I successfully auditioned to join the Under 12s orchestra as a harpist. I spent a week in August at Ackworth School in Yorkshire being tutored by some of the country’s best musicians. We practised in sections or as a full orchestra for eight hours each day; we also had time for recreational activities such as swimming, sports, games, competitions and treasure hunts. It was tiring but great fun and I became good friends with the other three harpists. At the end of the week we gave a concert in the school chapel.

Last October I attended an audition in Petersfield and in December I found out I’d been offered a place in this year’s Under 13s orchestra, along with 55 other girls and 54 boys. My friends were also successful – we are all Grade 5 Distinction harpists – and we are looking forward to meeting up again at Port Regis School near Shaftsbury for a nine-day course at Easter followed by a concert at The Anvil, Basingstoke on 10^th April.

We are told what music we will be learning in advance, to give us the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with it. We are also sent copies of the difficult bits so we can practice beforehand! At Easter our repertoire will include Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’, Strauss’s ‘Die Fledermaus’, Holst’s ‘Mars’ and ‘Jupiter’ from ‘The Planets’, and Walton’s ‘Crown Imperial’.

In the summer we will be spending nine days at Wellington College and performing in Birmingham Town Hall on 14^th August, and on December 5^th we will be performing a matinee concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

The National Children's Orchestra has five age-banded orchestras, for children between the ages of 7 and 13. Each year it draws together almost 500 musicians from all over the UK and gives them the opportunity to play in a full symphony orchestra in wonderful concert halls all over the country – and I am thrilled to be part of it! By Verity Foster, Year 7