Congratulations to the five Etonians who have successfully entered the National Youth Orchestra 2025/26.
While it marks the start of Winston L’s NYO journey, for the other four boys, it is a re-entry into the group. During the summer, they performed in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall along with two recent leavers.
With six musicians, Eton had one of the largest number of NYO members in the country, on a par with specialist music schools. Yunus E and Hugo D played in the first violins, Hayden Y and Daniel R were on cello, Kevin L on double bass, and Jeffrey C on percussion.
Described by the BBC as “Britain’s most talented teenagers,” the orchestra was made up of 160 musicians performing excerpts from John Williams’s Star Wars soundtracks and Holst’s The Planets, and conducted by Dalia Stasevska. As an encore, they sang an energetic rendition of Feeling Good.
Daniel R in Year 12 has been in the National Youth Orchestra for three years and felt “proud and excited” throughout the concert. He said: “My favourite piece to play was The Planets due to the various musical elements involved within each and every movement.”
Preparation for the Proms lasted just over a month, and Daniel drew upon his training from Eton’s Music Department: “Being part of Symphony Orchestra at Eton really helped boost my ensemble skills, and chamber music has really contributed to expanding my horizons in music.”
There are over 1,300 music lessons taught each week at The Music Schools and around 50 ensemble and choir rehearsals. Each year around 25 music scholarships and exhibitions are awarded to gifted musicians.
Heavily involved in music at the College, Daniel strives to make the most out of all the performance opportunities: “Being able to play in informal concerts whenever I want helped boost my confidence in playing on stage and was probably one of the main reasons why I was able to play in the Proms without feeling nervous.”
Anna Lapwood MBE, British organist, choir director and presenter, praised the NYO’s performance: “It really feels like they’re playing for their lives; they’re playing to show what young people are capable of.”
A recording of the Proms is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
