The YOA’s tour of Jamaica in collaboration with the NYOJ was a huge success as outlined in the extensive media coverage: “Sublime music by the visiting YOA Orchestra of the Americas gave the audience at Church on the Rock, St Andrew, a joyful experience on Thursday night.”

“Throughout the evening, it became quite impossible for the innately expressive Jamaican audience to maintain the traditional hushed, listening status quo, leading Prieto to declare Montegonians as the “most participative audience”, of the orchestra’s 2014 tours, to date.”

Read all about it in the Media Coverage Here:

The Gleaner, June 22^nd, 2014

The Jamaican Observer, July 23rd, 2014

The Gleaner, July 28^th, 2014

The Gleaner, July 29^th, 2014

The Gleaner, August 2, 2014

The Jamaican Observer, August 3rd, 2014

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NYOJ students had the chance of a lifetime to collaborate with their peers from 20 countries who make up the Orchestra of the Americas (YOA) in Jamaica in July.

Watch Mark Gillesepie, GM & Artistic Director of the Orchestra of The Americas and Dr. Nigel Clarke, Chairman of the NYOJ speak about the YOA’s visit to Jamaica on TVJ’s Smile Jamaica by clicking here.

Read more about the YOA coming to Jamaica by clicking here.

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Under the distinguished Patronage of the High Commissioner of Canada to
Jamaica, H.E. Robert Ready and the High Commissioner for Jamaica to
Canada, H.E. Sheila Sealy Monteith, the NYOJ officially launched it’s ‘Canada
Dream Tour’ on June 8th with a concert on the gorgeous lawn of the Canadian
High Commissioner’s Residence in Kingston.

“It was an evening of delightful and soothing music on the lawns of the Canadian High Commissioner’s Seymour Avenue residence last Sunday, where the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica (NYOJ) launched its Canada Dream Tour.”

To read more about this delightful evening of music click here and here.

If you would like to read about all of the fundraising events for the Canada Dream Tour, click here.

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Mickey Hanson along with his friends and several NYOJ instructors
performed a benefit concert for the NYOJ’s Canada Dream Tour on
March 27th, 2014.

“Last Friday’s benefit concert at Redbones Blues Café in St Andrew drew a strong turnout who were thoroughly entertained by trumpeter Mickey Hanson and the National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica (NYOJ).

The show raised funds for Canada Dream Tour — NYOJ 2014. The NYOJ has been invited to Canada by Jamaica’s High Commissioner to perform for Jamaican Independence Day celebrations in August.”

Read the full article on the event by clicking here.

To read more about the NYOJ’s fundraising efforts for the Canada Dream Tour, click here.

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The NYOJ opened three new classical music training centres this past year including Windward Road Primary on January 21st, 2014, St. Jago High School in Spanish Town on March 24th, 2014 and at Norman Manley High School on April 7th, 2014.  To read an article about the opening of St. Jago’s Centre click here.

To read more about the opening of each of the centres, read our newsletter by clicking here.

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“The National Youth Orchestra (NYOJ) is set to benefit from a series of training sessions and master classes with a group of 13 musicians from The Kennedy Centre Opera House/Washington National Opera Orchestra, The Louisville (Kentucky) Orchestra, The United States Air Force Strings, and the United States Army Strings.

The training will run from June 11 to 13 and there will be two concerts which will be open to the public – one in Kingston and the other in Mandeville, Manchester. The Kingston concert will be held on Wednesday, June 12, at the Mona Chapel, University of the West Indies (UWI) at 6:30 p.m.”

Read the full article here

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“On Friday, May 24, the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston recognised nine outstanding Jamaicans who have excelled in various fields and impacted the lives of others at their 21st Annual Awards luncheon at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.”

Among them, Dr Nigel Clarke, NYOJ Chairman was recognised for his outstanding community service.

Read the full article here.

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After a week of workshops with the Alpha Boys Home, the NYOJ’s Kingston College Melbourne Centre, the St. Patrick’s Foundation in Seaview Gardens and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, the Guapos closed their visit to Kingston with a performance at the Kingston College Chapel. All groups trained and inspired by the Guapos during their visit performed alongside their mentors in a spectacular show. This fundraising concert was followed by a free performance the next day at Hope Gardens, the first for the year in their concert in the gardens series.

Read more about the performance here.

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In January 2013 the NYOJ hosted a brass quintet, the Guapos, from the Lynn Conservatory at Lynn University. The group’s two week stay included three performances, and several workshops both in Kingston and Montego Bay. The Guapos were accompanied by Lisa Leonard, a chamber musician and educator, heading the Instrumental Collaborative Piano Programme at Lynn University who held masterclasses at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and Marc Reese, assistant dean at Lynn University who spearheaded brass masterclasses for the Jamaica Defense Force and Constabulary Force bands as well as the Salvation Army.

Watch the Guapo’s Smile Jamaica Interview here.

Read more the Guapos performance at the Edna Manley College here and here.

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“From the very moment of our arrival at the airport in Kingston, we realised that this was going to be no ordinary trip. I said it in the performance we, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), gave in Kingston, and I will say it once more: we are all in agreement that this was the most remarkable tour that any of us has undertaken.”

To read more from RPO Conductor Ben Pope’s Letter to the Editor please visit here.

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