National Youth Guitar Ensemble at WYGF09

One of the ensembles coming back for more are the rather wonderful National Youth Guitar Ensemble. Led by artistic director, Gerald Garcia they joined forces with the Australian super-ensemble Guitarstrophe! to record a CD directly after the main festival last year. The CD Festive Fizz was launched earlier this year at the Winchester Guitar Festival (WGF) and we shall be featuring the CD on this site soon.

Playing in NYGE is a fabulous experience for young guitarists and their new coordinator, Liz Larner, recently got in touch to tell us more about the group.

Liz writes, “Last year the National Youth Guitar Ensemble attended an inspirational and entertaining summer course at WYGF ‘07.  After the success of the festival including the NYGE concert and their recording session for the ‘Festive Fizz’ CD, the ensemble is pleased to announce their welcomed return to WYGF ’09.

NYGE offers the highest standard of ensemble training in the U.K for young aspiring guitarists and is currently looking for enthusiastic and talented musicians to join them for their two annual courses. Applicants should be between the ages of 13 – 18 and the equivalent standard of Grade 5 distinction and above (the ensemble averages at Grade 7/8).  Successful applicants will be asked to attend two residential courses in 2009 which will be at Quorn on 9^th – 14^th April ’09 and at WYGF on 11^th – 14^th April ‘09.

Applications are now being accepted and the NYGE 2009 auditions will be held on the 11^th January ’09 at Chethams School of Music and 18^th January ’09 at The Royal Academy of Music.

If you are a young aspiring guitarist who enjoys interacting and performing with others and has a thirst for fun then NYGE is the ensemble for you! Interested guitarists are invited to send in an application form along with the audition fee of £15 (cheque payable to EGTA, UK) to the NYGE Coordinator by the 23d December ’08. Application forms can be downloaded from the European Guitar Teachers’ Association website.

For more information on NYGE please visit the EGTA site or contact NYGE coordinator Liz Larner. Information on course fees and bursaries will be available on the EGTA website soon.”