A new £800,000 fund, to be administered by Youth Music, has been created with a view to resolving some of the financial problems currently being faced by the national youth music organisations and enabling them to promote wider access to some of the best music education, training and performance opportunities available.
The organisations will use the money to help maintain core activities and develop artistic programmes and access initiatives. This will include extending and opening auditions, widening membership and repertoire. As a sector, they are aiming to be socially and economically more accessible to young people from all over England. The fund will be used by ten organisations, including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and British Youth Opera. The contributing funds, from Youth Music (£400,000), the Department for Education and Skills (£300,000) and the Arts Council of England (£100,000), can only be used to support those national youth music organisations which primarily serve England, though the funders are keen to broaden the sector as soon as possible to include other musical styles and cultural traditions.
Published: 29-07-2002