London’s Royal Festival Hall echoed to the sound of music from nearly four hundred young singers and musicians at Youth Makes Music 2009, organized by Rotary in London.
Seventeen individual acts put forward by 13 sponsoring Rotary Clubs took to the stage on Wednesday, 25th March, 2009.
Pam Rhodes, well known for presenting BBC TV’s “Songs of Praise” was the compere for the evening. Seven of the capital’s Mayors were also in attendance to watch the youngsters perform.
Youth Makes Music is Rotary’s bi-annual concert for young musicians from across London. All of the participants are aged between 11 and 18 years old, and for many it is their first opportunity to display their talents at such a prestigious venue as the Royal Festival Hall.
The participants are sponsored by their local Rotary Clubs, and the Musical Director and members of the organising Committee make the selection for the concert from all of the entries submitted. Making the selection from such a diverse range of musical genres and from soloists to full orchestras is a major task.
There were 399 participants in Youth Makes Music:
- Ealing Youth Orchestra – sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Greenford and Hanwell and Northfields.
- Putney High School Senior Choir – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Putney.
- Pianist Harry Ogg – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tooting.
- James Allen Girls’ School Ensemble – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Dulwich and Peckham.
- Hillingdon Sax Group- sponsored by Rotary Club of Greenford
- Susi Earnshaw Theatre Group – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Barnet and East Barnet.
- 14-year-old violinist Claudia Moore-Gillon – Rotary Club of Dulwich and Peckham
- Pianist Raz Benson born in Israel in 1995, moved to London in 1998 –Rotary Club of Southgate
- Davenant Foundation School Swing Band – Rotary Club of Loughton and Buckhurst Hill.
- Enfield Youth Symphony Orchestra – Rotary Club of Enfield.
- Alyth Youth Singers based at North Western Reform Synagogue in Golders Green – Rotary Club of Islington, Highgate and Muswell Hill
- 13-year-old cello player from Bancrofts School Meera Raja – Rotary Club of Barkingside
- 11-year-old pianist Cody Lee Smart from St John’s C of E School – Rotary Club of Chingford. He taught himself to play piano from DVDs and plays “boogie woogie”. His mother has suffered from breast cancer and he has played at more than 50 charity events, including Covent Garden and raised just under $5,000 for local charities.
- Graveney School Piano Trio – Rotary Club of Tooting.
- 12-year-old pianist Stephanie Quadranti from Bancrofts School – Rotary Club of Barkingside.
- Park High School Dhol Drummers (Punjabi music) – Rotary Club of Northwick Park
- Graveney School Concert Band – Rotary Club of Tooting.
Sue Sands, organizer of Youth Makes Music said: “Although organising the concert is a huge job, the enthusiasm and the excitement of the young people participating is so rewarding. As you listen to the talent that some of these young people possess, you can’t help feeling that you just might be watching a star of the future in their embryonic stage.
"Not all of the participants will pursue a career in music, but for them, appearing at the Royal Festival Hall will have been a memory they will cherish."
Wally K. Daly, District Governor of Rotary in London invited all seven local mayors to come along to the event at the Royal Festival Hall to see youngsters from their boroughs performing. He said: “As there are only a maximum of seventeen acts & artists who can take part in the production in any two year period, the competition for a place is enormously stiff between the schools and between the Rotary clubs proposing them. To that end there are no winners announced here tonight at the end of the evening.
"The truth of the matter is every young musician you see on the stage has already won. So let’s congratulate them all at the outset and settle back to be entertained in a multiplicity of styles by a multiplicity of young people who all celebrate collectively their joy of life as -Youth Makes Music!".
The London mayors attending were:
Mayor of London Borough of Redbridge Councillor Loraine Sladden, Deputy Mayor of London Borough of Wandsworth Councillor Peter Dawson with Councillor Linda Dawson, Mayor of London Borough of Southwick Councillor Eliza Mann, Mayor Councillor of London Borough of Harrow John Nickolay, Mayor of London Borough of Barnett Councillor John Marshall, Mayor of London Borough of Enfield Councillor Lee Chamberlain, and Mayor of London Borough of Ealing Councillor Ian Green.
Photos of the event and youngsters taking part are available on the Rotary in London website here.
31/03/09
