About FSYO
FSYO is a charitable organisation whose aim is the support the seven different ensembles that are part of the Southampton Youth Orchestras. These range from groups for young players gaining their first experience of orchestral playing, right up to one of the country's foremost youth orchestras. Most of the FSYO committee members are parents of current players. Musical directors are also represented.
The Friends support the orchestras in many ways, for example by providing some new instruments and music, and by giving financial support for tours, residential weekends and occasional specialist sectional support. This is in addition to the funding from the Southampton Music Services which pays for the orchestra conductors and rehearsal venues. We are always looking for (painless) ways to bring in extra cash! To find out how you can help at no additional cost to yourself, click here, or follow the Shopping link on the right.
This year's AGM was held at Cantell School at 10am, Saturday 8th November. You can see more details on the following pages:
The full list of elected and re-elected Committee members - here
Reports from individual ensemble musical directors - here
Our re-elected Chair, Sally Boxall, was unfortunately unable to be present. However, here is the text of the Report read out on Sally's behalf:
2007-2008 was again a good year for the Southampton Youth Orchestras. The pyramid of 7 orchestras went from strength to strength with the children gaining in confidence and making some fantastic music. The Friends of Southampton Youth Orchestra’s aim is to support the children in their music making, by raising funds to supplement that provided by Southampton music services, and help with concerts, refreshments, raffles and publicity.
The year started with the last AGM and a modest increase in committee members. We are very keen to recruit more willing volunteers, particularly those whose children are in the junior orchestras, to make sure that the Friends organisation is relevant to all the ensembles.
There have been some fantastic concerts this year – all the junior ensembles had Christmas and summer concerts with an amazing standard of playing, SYCS played with ‘a Touch of Brass’ - one of the junior brass ensembles; SYO played at a concert cerebrating black history month with the Youth Choir and Southampton Youth Jazz orchestra. SYO also had some very beneficial collaborations with other organisations, Southampton Rotary Club supported SYO at a concert at the Turner Sims in January, and raised funds for Rotary charities and FSYO, and Southampton Magna Rotary Club organised the amazing leavers concert at Winchester Cathedral in September, at which £6000 was raised for Naomi House Hospice.
Of course the highlight of the year for the friends was, as always, the pyramid spring concert at Central Hall. To see all the ensembles playing in the same concert is quite a moving experience, and the concert was a complete sell-out and highly praised. The staff at Central Hall were so impressed by the musical skills and behaviour of all the members of the ensembles that they contacted Radio Solent to say that not all children are tearaways!!
Other fundraising endeavours have included a ‘come and sing Messiah’ in November last year with music provided by a chamber group from SYO, and a sponsored silent rehearsal of the Purcell orchestra. FSYO committee members also provide teas for a Bridge Club in Romsey 3 or 4 times a year, which provides a steady income and isn’t particularly onerous . Anyone willing to help with this – just let us know!
The orchestras have travelled both in England and Europe this year. SYS had their traditional excursion to Avon Tyrell in the New Forest, SYCS went to Okehampton in Devon at February half term, and SYO went to Vienna via the National Festival of Music for Youth in at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. FSYO have helped with banking facilities and financial and practical support for these tours which are so important for the ensembles.
We have been able to support the ensembles by providing new music, an amplifier, music stands, a bass drum stand, to name but a few.
I’d like to say thank you to all the hardworking members of the FSYO committee. Some committee members no longer have children in the ensembles and do it for the love of it – or because they are too nice to say no!
In particular Ann Smith works tirelessly in so many ways to make sure that things run smoothly, always cheerful and always willing to go the extra mile.
Linnet Evans has developed the website which goes from strength to strength, including an oldies reunited section. Linnet has also completely revamped the FSYO music library which is maintained at Tauntons – the music is now catalogued electronically so we know what there is and can be made available to all ensemble directors and also for hire. We managed to find a home for some of the surplus music in a music school in Kampala.
We really need someone to help take this work forward and the take charge of the regular newsletter.
Peter Gosney is a real behind the scenes boy and we really want to say a big thank you for all his hard work – Pete helps by driving all the instruments to the tour destination, endlessly fetching and carrying all the instruments and carrying on when everyone else slopes off home!
Pete drove the SYO instruments all the way to Austria this year with Jan Szram, who had a long association with SYO. You may have seen in the newsletter the tragic news of Jan’s untimely death last month and our thoughts are with his family and friends
Finally we want to extend a warm welcome to Alita Mills, who is the new Head of Music Services at Southampton City Council. We look forward to a long and successful relationship, and hope that music in Southampton goes from strength to strength.
Sally Boxall - Chairman, FSYO
November 2008
You may also like to download a 2008-09 membership application form ( .pdf format). Membership is just £10 per year per family, or £40 for four years. You also have an opportunity, if you are a taxpayer, to allow us to reclaim gift aid.
"What do the Friends actually do?" was the title of an article in the Spring 2006 newsletter (.pdf format).
FSYO is a Registered Charity, no. 283789. We are always pleased to have offers of help for concerts and other events throughout the year.
last update: 2 October 2008