 Hertfordshire County Youth
Orchestra
Conductor: Peter Stark
Required standard: Grade Vlll
Age Range: 13 – 21 years
"one of the best youth orchestras in the country"
Recordings
Review in 'Gramophone'
Auditions
CYO meets during the autumn, spring and summer
holidays, usually for 4-5 days per course.
 
The orchestra has gained a reputation as one of the
best youth orchestras in the country working with
international conductors and experienced sectional
tutors some of whom hold Principal positions in
professional orchestras.
CYO performs at major venues and festivals in the
UK and Europe. The orchestra’s repertoire is always
challenging and its concerts always memorable.
In recent years, repertoire has included Messiaen’s
Turangalila Symphony, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder,
Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto with John Lill,
Mahler’s 3rd Symphony and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben.
Recent recordings have included their acclaimed disc
of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, violin – David Greed in 2004
and Edwin Roxburgh’s Saturn in 2005 which was
released commercially by NMC.
Entry is by audition or invitation and members are
expected to commit to all three courses in the season.
‘the playing of Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra is
simply stunning’ -
Classical CD 2006
County Youth Orchestra on tour in Prague - August 2007
by Emily Blogg (violin)
 Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra travelled to Prague on 25th August after a few days of intense rehearsal at Wheathampstead. There was a huge buzz of excitement as everyone helped to load the special bus full of our instruments ready to take in advance to Prague. The following morning people congregated at their pick-up points ready for buses to take us to Stansted or Heathrow airport. Despite being rather tired due to the early rise (3:30am!) everyone was eager for the journey to get under away.
It was late morning, cloudy but sunny, when we arrived and we were able to wander the streets of Prague for the first time. A small group of us found a local restaurant for lunch. Once we got to our Hotel Duo we settled down for the evening ready for the hard day’s work ahead of us. This was the beginning of our trip in Prague.
In our free time there was lots for everyone to do. From sipping frothy cappuccinos under large umbrella shades to gazing at the bustling activities of the city square one could see a completely different lifestyle. The historic Astronomical Clock which stood in the city square, always attracted a crowd of tourists due to its magnificence. The horse-drawn carriages dutifully toured the city centre and the vast number of Churches and Cathedrals gave the city a strong sense of character that was complemented by the beautiful surrounding landscape.
On one of the evenings we were taken out for a meal at The Black Sabbath where we ate soup followed by a dish of traditional meat with salad. It was delicious!
There was so much in Prague that somehow made its way into the Czech music we rehearsed. I also felt that the experience gave a sense of closeness which helped towards the ever-growing confidence of the orchestra.
 We first went to play in the Rudolfinum on Monday. Inside the concert hall had huge stone pillars surrounding the audience seats and there was a magnificent organ behind the concert platform. The acoustic was amazing and we knew it was such a privilege to perform in such a famous concert hall.
My most enduring memory of the trip was being able to play the Janacek Sinfonietta with the Prague Philharmonic Band in the Rudolfinum for the first time. One could just tell the music was in their blood and this gave us all a real taste of Czech music. On the concert day there was a lot of apprehension. However the concert hall was completely full and they liked our playing so much we even played an encore! The concert went fabulously and there was a real sense of achievement. Finally all our hard work and concentration had paid off. In my opinion we couldn’t have been given a better opportunity. This proved to be a magnificent experience, which was also the perfect send-off for those doing their final concert with the HCYO.
I would like to thank John Witchell, on behalf of the orchestra, for looking after us on the tour and he and his team for all the hard work that they have put into running the orchestra. I would like to thank James Dickinson, Peter Stark and all our sectional coaches whose contribution was crucial to the success of the performance.
County Youth Orchestra Record for Commercial Label!
Following the success of CYO's winter concert performance of Edwin Roxburgh’s Saturn, the orchestra was approached by the recording label NMC and invited to record the work for commercial release.
 This was an amazing opportunity for the orchestra and follows on from the success of it’s own recording of Elgar’s Violin concerto (details further down!) It is also very prestigious as the other work on the disc is Roxburgh’s clarinet concerto which will be performed by Linda Merrick and the orchestra of the Royal Northern College of Music. For a Youth Orchestra to be associated with a leading Conservatoire in such a project is praise indeed!
The orchestra recorded Saturn over Easter at Haileybury College, Hertford. To buy the CD:
Visit NMC Recordings website:
Visit the Royal Northern College of Music website:
CYO Recording reviewed in GRAMOPHONE September 2006
by
Richard Whitehouse
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, E Roxburgh 
Linda Merrick clarinted, RNCM Symphony Orchestra
Saturn, E Roxburgh
Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra, Peter Stark
NMC New CD NMCD119 (59 minutes : DDD)
As fine an introduction to this Briton’s music as you could wish for
Although Montage was a notable success at the 1977 Proms, Edwin Roxburgh is as well known as a composition teacher (he was on the staff at the Royal College of Music for many years, and directed its Twentieth-Century Ensemble) as a composer. This disc features two substantial orchestral works that give an insight into his distinctive and never unapproachable idiom.
The Clarinet Concerto (1995) falls into a half-hour single movement – its haunting initial idea the basis for what ensues and generating a natural momentum such as makes its development easy to follow. While this process of organic accumulation could perhaps have been telescoped more thoroughly during the first half, the intense central meditation and build-up to a climactic cadenza with percussion is impressively realised. Linda Merrick gives a confident and assured performance, and Roxburgh secures a committed response from the RNCM forces.
Taking its cue from images sent back by the Voyager II spacecraft, Saturn (1982) is a tone-poem depicting each of the planet’s nine satellites in a continuous sequence – enhanced by a subtle electronic presence – ranging from the textural interplay of ‘Mimas’ to the fugal density of ‘Dione’ and the sustained threnody of ‘Titan’. The constituents are then drawn (in a manner recalling Lutosðawski) into the culminating ‘Saturn’ movement, which drives to an exhilarating conclusion. The work’s considerable technical demands are met with relish by the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra and heard to advantage in sound with a greater spatial depth than that accorded the concerto. Brief but informative notes from the composer, and a fine introduction to Roxburgh’s music that has been too long in coming.
Richard Whitehouse
13.4.05
County Youth Orchestra Recording Now Available
During Easter 2004, CYO recorded the Elgar Violin concerto, soloist David Greed, conducted by Peter  Stark. This record confirms CYO as being one of the best Youth Orchestras in the country and is a testament to the hard work of all the players as well as the inspirational conducting of Peter Stark.
For your copy (£10) please call 01727 860941 ext. 209 or email countymusicenquiries@hertscc.gov.uk
Auditions - APPLY NOW!
Auditions for the 20010-11 season will take place in Sept/Oct 2010
but please do get in touch now with your details!
Details of how
to apply
Please see Diary of Events for details of upcoming courses and events
For more information:
E-mail: countymusicenquiries@hertscc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01727 860941
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