Day the music died: youth orchestras amalgamation is a national disgrace

THE decision to amalgamate the nation’s two youth orchestras means, in effect, that the junior National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (NYOI) will remain relatively unchanged while many members of the senior National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland — among them students of prestigious institutes in Ireland and abroad — will be past the new age limit of the orchestra.

Those young enough to remain members will lose the chance to work annually with distinguished professional conductors and to perform the challenging repertoire (including newly-commissioned works) that they have previously played with great success.

An even greater concern is the evident lack of appreciation for the worth of this orchestra. The reason for this amalgamation, one gathers, is the lack of interested players available to play with the senior orchestra.