Richard Gill Chamber Orchestra – A New String For Sydney Youth Orchestras
Sydney Youth Orchestras has announced the launch of the Richard Gill Chamber Orchestra which
celebrates the legacy of the late Richard Gill, one of the most admired music educators of our time.
Richard Gill was the Chief Conductor at SYO from 1977 -1982 and firmly believed that “every child should have the opportunity to learn and create music.” The SYO honours that legacy with this venture.
Gill changed the lives of the musicians with whom he crossed paths in a long life of teaching and conducting. He also had a profound impact on the highly successful orchestral training program that SYO has today. This year SYO celebrates 40 years since Richard Gill started the “Babies Proms” program at the Sydney Opera House with The Sydney Youth Orchestra, a program that lives on today with SYO’s partnership with the Sydney Opera House and the Kids Music Café.
In recognition of his contribution to SYO, Stage 4 Strings will now be known as the Richard Gill Chamber Orchestra. This orchestra literally sits at the heart of the SYO Orchestral Training Framework, where it functions as the pinnacle of ten young string only orchestras and the beginning of four full symphony orchestras including The Sydney Youth Orchestra. In essence, the orchestra is where young musicians have their first full orchestral experience.
SYO currently has 14 orchestras and educates over 550 students each week in orchestral music making, plus around 500 more through non-core outreach programs. Kate Morgan, who has strong ties to the Gill family and performed within numerous orchestras under Richard’s baton, will be the inaugural conductor to lead this orchestra.
SYO is currently accepting applications to audition for their 14 various ensembles and orchestra, for young musicians aged 6 to 25. Applications close Wednesday September 1, 2021. Apply now via www.syo.com.au/join
