NZYSW is Aotearoa's Premier Youth Concert Band
During the second week of the Term 2 holidays, I travelled to Wellington to take part in the NZ Youth Symphonic Winds (NZYSW) Winter Programme. NZYSW is Aotearoa's premier youth concert band, and I was excited to be accepted into the programme again after auditioning earlier this year.
Throughout the week, we rehearsed with conductor Mike Ashton, working on a challenging programme of concert band music. We also had sectional rehearsals led by players from the New Zealand Navy Band, which were an invaluable experience.
At the end of the week, we performed two concerts with the theme 'Around the World'—one at the Wellington Central Library and another at Wellington College. My favourite piece we played was the six-movement work Windows of the World by Peter Graham. It was one of the most challenging pieces on the programme, but it was also one of the most rewarding to perform.
During the programme, I played both bass clarinet and Bâ™ clarinet. It was an amazing opportunity to develop my musicianship, meet talented young musicians from around New Zealand, and proudly represent our school.
by Charlotte Marriott
