Queen joins National Youth Orchestra

She was over the age limit, but they let her attend today’s rehearsal anyway. So long as she didn’t tell anyone.

press stuff: The Queen today witnessed the power of peer inspiration as she attended an NYO Inspire session at Lister Community School in Plaistow, London, as part of a day to showcase the work of charities funded by The Queen’s Trust.

Talented and committed musicians from National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain – the world’s greatest orchestra of teenagers – led a rehearsal with young instrumentalists from the Lister School Orchestra for The Queen before performing a specially-arranged excerpt of Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in front of the entire 1350-strong school audience.

The Royal showcase followed several sessions where NYO musicians have worked alongside the less experienced players in the school as part of NYO Inspire, a nationwide programme in which players from the orchestra share skills and inspiration with committed young musicians who lack opportunities to advance their playing, and bring workshops and performances direct to teenage audiences in schools.