Ulster Youth Orchestra Membership - Congratulations Raymond!
Music continues to be source of great passion and pride on Violet Hill and we are very proud of the achievements of S3 pupil Raymond Matthews who has shown great leadership in his involvement in Music in the College since he joined as a J1.
Raymond has kindly given put his latest achievement into some context for us;
The Ulster Youth Orchestra is an organisation that brings together the most talented young instrumentalists aged 14-23 from throughout Northern Ireland for residential courses and concerts, CD recordings, special projects, workshops and events. The Ulster Youth Orchestra provides successful applicants with the highest level of musical training by working closely with leading professional musicians and distinguished conductors from across the globe.
Throughout Northern Ireland, annual auditions take place which young musicians purely on their musical ability, regardless of their social or religious backgrounds. The orchestra provides an opportunity for young musicians to perform nationally and internationally in prestigious venues, a recent example of this being an appearance at the BBC Proms in 2011 where they performed at the Royal Albert Hall.
I am currently a 6th year student in St Colman’s College and I am studying for my AS levels: Physics, Maths, Biology and Chemistry. Music has always been a large part of my life and I am always very busy playing the oboe and tin whistle for different musical groups, both in and out of school. I started playing the oboe with the SELB music service when I was in primary school and I have always been taught by the board. I have been playing the oboe for roughly 8 years and I attend advanced tuition in Newry Music Centre on a weekly basis where I am currently working towards my grade 8.
Ulster Youth Orchestra 2013 was my first time applying for Ulster Youth Orchestra and it was a very challenging, but rewarding experience. I was informed about the auditions during a rehearsal for the South Ulster Youth Orchestra in early September 2012 and, after discussion with my tutor, decided that I would apply. I then received short orchestral excerpts from Ulster Youth Orchestra and I spent the following months preparing these, and two of my grade 8 pieces, for the audition.