History & Heritage

The National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain has been a cornerstone of young wind, brass, and percussion players’ development since its inception, offering unique training experiences unavailable elsewhere in UK musical education.

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Originally named The British Youth Wind Orchestra, the NYWO was founded by clarinettist Eric McGavin in 1968. It gained charitable status on 1 January 1986 and was renamed as The National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain. Eric McGavin acted as Musical Director until 1970, even re-mortgaging his house at one point so the orchestra could go on tour. Harry Legge OBE was Principal Conductor 1968 – 1989; in more recent years the orchestra has been directed by internationally-renowned conductors including Dr Glenn D. Price (Canada), Dr Matthew George (USA), and Dr James Gourlay (UK).

Besides the main orchestra, ‘Focus on Chamber’ courses have given less experienced wind and saxophone players the opportunity to explore chamber music repertoire and to work on musicianship in small ensembles.

The NYWO has performed in many prestigious venues throughout the UK and abroad, including St John’s, Smith Square (London), Symphony Hall, Birmingham (as part of the National Youth Prom in 2004), and concert halls in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and elsewhere, including opening the prestigious Lucerne Festival in 2018. The orchestra also has a long history of commissioning new works, chiefly from British composers such as Stephen Dodgson, Nigel Hess, Adam Gorb, and Kenneth Hesketh, and has worked with a number of high-profile soloists, such as David Campbell (clarinet), Simone Rebello (percussion), Roger Webster (trumpet), and David Childs (euphonium). The indefatigable Kit Shepherd served as Director of the organisation for nearly thirty years (from 1990), enabling thousands of young musicians to benefit from the transformative experience that is the NYWO. The organisation has made a major contribution to UK culture and heritage over the past fifty years and remains a crucial part of musical and social education in this country.