The Grand Union Youth Orchestra
Grand Union Youth
Orchestra of East London
The Grand Union Youth Orchestra of East London is an ensemble of talented young musicians from East London around the ages of 14-25 who play an amazing range of instruments.
Blending Indian ragas and Turkish melodies with Latin rhythms and African drumming, with a pinch of jazz and European harmony thrown into the pot, this Youth Orchestra says “Yes!” to everything and makes it work. Immersed in elements of music that span the globe, this ensemble is outfitted with instruments from all cultures, including saz, sarangi, sitar and steel pans. Mix in a spicy percussion section of tabla, dhol, djembe and congas and serve it up with bluesy solos and riffs from brass, wind and strings – GUYO will turn your conception of ‘world music’ and ‘youth orchestra’ on its head.
Latest news
Grand Union launch another Composition Competition!
On Wednesday 18th July, the renowned World/Jazz collective Grand Union Orchestra will celebrate the story of 500 years of migration and trade through performers from the East End today in an explosive show entitled The Golden Highway at the Hackney Empire. To contribute towards this special show, we offer you the 20 12-Bar Blues Challenge; where entrants must compose 12 bars of Swing Blues. The 20 winning entries will be formed into a specially created piece to be performed on the night at the Hackney Empire! Read on to see composition requirements.
GUYO feature in Music Teacher Magazine
Music Teacher Mag publish a wonderfully informative feature on GUYO and the story so far. Click to read
Latest music and videos
Dance of the Yao People
From Bengal Tiger Shanghai Dragon Grand Union Orchestra perform "Dance of the Yao People
Song of Four Season’s
Grand Union Orchestra perform the Song of Four Season's