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For 48 years the MYO created opportunities for the best of young Midlands orchestral instrumentalists to experience a high standard of orchestral playing, and to explore and perform a wide range of works from the symphonic repertoire. It also provided a platform for the best of young Midlands soloists to perform works from the great concerto repertoire.
During these years many hundreds of young musicians have taken advantage of these opportunities, whether as orchestral players or as soloists, and scores of these players have used their experience in the MYO as a springboard into the world of professional music-making.
The MYO was an independent youth symphony orchestra founded in 1956 by Blyth Major, the then General Manager of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). The orchestra existed to provide young musicians with valuable experience and training in orchestral playing and performance, either to prepare them for a career in music or to provide an enjoyable leisure pastime. Blyth Major’s pioneering work was ably continued for many years by the late James Langley.
![[Percussion]](files/timpreh.jpg)
Members were drawn from all over the Midlands, from Worcestershire to North Staffordshire and Shropshire to Warwickshire. Many of the players were also members of their local youth orchestras and the MYO membership was regularly well represented in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
![[Banff]](files/banffpos.jpg)
Its educational role is further underlined by the fact that the MYO’s Patron, Paul Daniel, the distinguished former Music Director of English National Opera, directed the orchestra in Masterclasses from time to time (see the News section for more details). Sectional rehearsals were held regularly and were supervised by professional tutors, including members of the CBSO.
The weekly rehearsals, courses and professional tuition, combined with the excellent team spirit which was the hallmark of the MYO, all lead to a consistently high standard of musical performance.