A young musician from Harrogate hit all the right notes at auditions this term to win places in two prestigious national children’s ensembles.
Multi-talented Samantha Brockett, a year 9 pupil and music scholar at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), plays saxophone, piano and violin and is also an accomplished singer. She has just received news that is music to her ears – she has won places in both the National Children’s Wind Orchestra (NCWO) and the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain (NCCGB).
Both organisations offer residential courses in the school holidays, providing an opportunity for talented young musicians from across the country to develop their skills with specialist tutors and perform under the baton of professional conductors in top concert venues.
It is Sam’s second year as a saxophonist with the NCWO, which runs a number of ensembles for musicians of varying experience, and she will be playing with a more senior group this year. The residential course takes place next Easter holidays, culminating with a concert in the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge.
Sam has been learning saxophone for five years and is working towards her grade 7 exam next summer with her teacher Sarah Jobson at the Dragon Music School in Harrogate.
Sam said: It was really good fun playing at the NCWO course last year, working on getting the ensemble balance right and sight-reading difficult music straight away.
I’m excited to have been placed in a more advanced wind orchestra this time – while it will be more challenging, it will be a very professional standard and we get to perform in a proper concert hall. It will be a great experience on top of all the music I do at school – I’m a member of about nine different groups so the music department is like a second home!
Sam is also working towards grade 7 singing and was delighted to have won a place in the NCCGB the first time she auditioned.
Sam will be joined on the NCWO course by three other musicians from GSAL – saxophonist Robert Southby, year 8, and his brother, euphonium player George, year 7, from Linton, and trombonist Daniel Cockburn, year 9, from Leeds.
