The National Youth Concert Band NL (NYCB.nl) offers students at the Conservatories of Music a unique ‘experience’ within the wide world of wind music. They amongst others learn the differences and similarities of playing in a Symphony Orchestra versus a Symphonic Wind Orchestra or Symphonic Band a.k.a. Concert Band.
Approach
We apply the same approach as of the former National Youth Wind Orchestra NL (NJHO) which existed from 1985 until 2010. This functioned as a stimulus and example of the Symphonic Wind Orchestra, gave concerts at home and abroad, performed existing and new compositions, made recordings, etc. NYCB is therefore the renewed version of NJHO (NextGen).
Content
Focus is placed on talent development of the band members or what students at a Conservatory of Music as future professionals are required to command. The combination of orchestral and solo performance. Strengthening the professional skill set as an orchestral musician consists of various training elements which are repeated during every rehearsel:
- sight reading/a prima vista/a vue: read and play
- job rotation: gaining experience at every position in the section so one can be deployed everywhere for the purpose of flexibility
- blending: sounding together as a section, group and orchestra (tutti)
In addition to orchestral playing we also offer orchestra members the opportunity to play solo.
At application for a vacancy, one must always play at an Audition. Then, amongst other things, one is asked to play (a part of) one or more Concertos. This is taught at a Conservatory of Music, but experience in performing as a soloist is certainly desirable. For this reason, we offer our band members the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the band. That experience develops the inner strength of the young professional. This translates to performing with full confidence.
Repertoire
A National Concert Band consisting of students at the Conservatories of Music, is required to prepare it’s members for the professional domain. For that reason NYCB’s repertoire consists of all genres and styles with emphasis on the standard repertoire. From an artistic point of view this is similar to music as performed by the Symphony Orchestras.
We supplement this with music from those countries where new compositions are written for Concert Band such as the USA, Spain and Japan. With regards to the light repertoire, we focus on Film Music and the Musical Theatre.
E.g.: Paul Hindemith, Morton Gould, Samuel Barber, Karel Husa, John Williams, Vincent Persichetti, Vaclav Nelhybel, Micah Levy, Geza Frid.
Method
We offer two pathways within this ‘experience’. The first consists of weekly rehearsels and monthly concerts. The second consists of monthly rehearsels plus concert in one weekend. Look at it as the difference between gradually building stamina versus taking a sprint. In addition there are ad hoc performances in varying formations and line-ups.