Over 700 young people from every secondary school in the city performed at the Royal Albert Hall last night (Wednesday 15 November) as one of only three massed ensembles to be part of the three day Music for Youth Proms.
This prestigious event was a great opportunity to perform the piece Swerving East, showcasing the citys many talented young musicians, singers and dancers and celebrating the city’s year as the UK City of Culture.
Musically the piece takes its inspiration from the work of Hull’s renowned poet Phillip Larkin, ‘Here’, which describes the city and the surrounding area with its ‘grain scattered streets, barge crowded water’ and ‘luminously peopled air’. It has been composed by Tom Lawrence, who works for the Hull Music Service as a percussion teacher but also holds a PhD in composition. His brief was to create a piece of music which reflects and celebrates the musical talents of the young people of Hull. There will be roughly 300 instrumentalists and 400 singers performing all trained and rehearsed by Hull Music Service staff supported by school music teachers.
Councillor Phil Webster, Hull City Council Portfolio Holder for Learning, Skills and Safeguarding Children, said: I would like to congratulate all the young people who were part of this incredible performance. Their hardwork, commitment and dedication are all a credit to themselves and the city. My thanks go out to everyone at the councils Hull Music Service for making this happen and giving all the young people the chance to be part of this, celebrating the best young musical talent that the UK has to offer.
Chris Maynard, Head of the Hull Music Service at Hull City Council, said: This is by far the most complicated, involved and ambitious project ever undertaken by the Hull Music Service but the opportunity to perform in a Music for Youth Prom at the Royal Albert Hall was worth all the hard work. We hope that this will have provided an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience for the young people.