Such a wholesome evening of young performers and musicians coming together for one special night to showcase their talents
New Sounds Music Festival took place in the stunning auditorium at the Guildhall school in London. This was such a charming evening of young performers and musicians coming together for one special night to showcase their talents. This event was ran by the incredible Music Education Islington and the Guildhall School Of Music in collaboration with Sound Skool and Soap Box. Music Education Islington, MEI, are providing some remarkable training and live performance opportunities for young people across London. They are supported financially by the Arts Council England and the Dame Alice Owen foundation. MEI’s mission is for all children and young people to receive a fair share of high quality music education and progression opportunities, irrespective of their background.
As we entered the building on Thursday evening, Milton Court Concert Hall, everyone was incredibly welcoming, from the bar staff to the theatre ushers. We took our seats and we were shortly in the hands of one fabulous host, Nikki Yeoh. Nikki Yeoh, a ground-breaking contemporary jazz composer, brought light and energy to the stage and carried us, the audience, through the evening with a grand total of 22 performances. Each performance was quite unique, which made for a pleasant and engaging night at the theatre. Their set list was well thought-out with a nice balance of solo acts to group pieces allowing the night to flow with dynamics and ease. This was no ordinary children’s showcase, these students were something quite spectacular, partially for their age. The show kicked off with a highly talented orchestra and their rendition of The Music Of James Bond arr. Michael Brown. My partner and I were blown away by their musical skills. The Purple Flute Group playing Hallelujah by Lenard Cohen arr. Frédéric Quinet were spectacular. A young girl who had actually only played with MEI for 6 weeks was incredible on the bass. Another young boy has an album out and I believe he is currently in year 5. The teachers at MEI are clearly the best of the best and I highly recommend you check out their website and see all they have to offer for yourself. Nikki actually mentioned a free summer school for children this summer.
There’s only one aspect of this New Sounds Festival where I believe they could make an improvement for their future live shows. That would be to prep the students on how to respond to the host. When individuals were asked questions such as why they chose a specific piece to perform, many of them unfortunately did not have an answer. This was clearly because they were very nervous to speak on the mic, which is of course completely normal. However, I believe if their teachers provided them with some time to prepare before they headed out on stage it would have made for a more engaging time for the audience. Whist at times it was endearing, it also brought the pace and energy down ever so slightly at times.
Overall this was a wholesome and spectacular showcase and I believe we have witnessed some true stars within this Music Education Islington company. Every single person who performed was extremely talented . Whether these students choose music as their long term career path, or simply hold onto these skills and continue to perfect and perform as a hobby, I wish them all the very best of luck on their magical music journeys. I’d like to say thank you to everyone involved in delivering these opportunities to young people in London and the UK. You could see at the heart of this company, not only was it about teaching their students to thrive musically, but to also gain confidence; and most importantly to be a part of a community. In a world where we are becoming more and more isolated, it is so important for us all to have community and inclusivity and this is exactly what MEI are providing.