Pádraig Kitterick

At the last meeting of the Board of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, a decision was made to amalgamate their two main orchestras: the NYOI (for players between 14-18) and the NYSOI (for players between 18-24). The full announcement can be found on the organisation’s website.

This move has come as a complete shock to many people, especially those who have had the opportunity to perform as a member of one of the orchestras. The NYOI has a proud history of providing young Irish classical musicians with the chance to perform repertoire of the highest standard on world-class stages with international conductors. I have been fortunate enough to be one of those people who have benefited from this organisation, and it is critical to the future of classical music in Ireland for this organisation to continue into the future. I believe that a decision which cuts the number of places for young musicians in the orchestra in half, from 200 to 100, is a huge mistake, and many up and coming young musicians in Ireland will have to pay the price for it.

Since the decision, four board members have resigned and an online petition against the amalgamation has received over 1,100 signatures. They include some renowned musicians and important figures in Irish cultural life. Despite this, it would seem that the Board of the NYOI are utterly convinced that this is the only course of action that will resolve the current recruitment problems they refer to in their announcement. This was made clear in a discussion on today’s Liveline show on RTE Radio 1, involving Gerard Kelly, a Board member of NYOI, and Donagh Collins, who resigned from the Board in protest at this decision. You can listen to a recording of the broadcast here. (Please note that the recording begins shortly after the start of the NYOI feature, and contains a cut after a minute or so due to a problem connecting to RTE’s streaming server. I’ll put a complete version online as soon as the show archive is available. Updated to include the full interview.)

I feel really angry about the way in which the Board of the NYOI has made this decision, with no open consultation with anyone outside the organisation. This move to join the two orchestras will not only halve the number of places available to young musicians, but it will also impair the ability of the NYOI to provide an environment in which young and inexperienced players can develop over time into experienced orchestral musicians. Perhaps at this difficult time for the organisation, the Board of the NYOI should consider focusing their efforts on finding a new Chief Executive instead of making rash decisions which will have a strong detrimental effect on classical music in Ireland. This is a tremendous mistake and if you agree, please sign the petition now!