A week of rehearsals with the NYO: cellist Ben Matson

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My name is Ben Matson. I’m a cellist in my final year with NYO. I sit on the third desk of the cello section and hold the role of string leader. A key part of my role in the orchestra is mentoring and inspiring other young people through NYO Inspire. I believe in the power of music to bring people together and I’m very excited to see this in the NYO Community. 

On 7 August, we begin the As One tour in Manchester, together with conductor Alexandre Bloch. Being from Manchester myself, I have performed at the Bridgewater Hall many times, but never with NYO. In fact, my first contact with the National Youth Orchestra was watching the Open Up: Free Spirits performance at the Bridgewater Hall two years ago. It’s going to feel very special to finally play with NYO on my home ground. 

NYO Summer Residency 

The Summer Residency began with a leadership weekend: a chance for section principals and string leaders to discuss the challenges of leadership before the arrival of the rest of the orchestra. This involved talks about how to take on a leadership position and create a positive atmosphere throughout the orchestra. The weekend also gave time for us to play through the repertoire for the residency (with massively reduced numbers of course). 

In the afternoon of day one of the residency, the whole orchestra arrived in Keele in its vast numbers. It was a great feeling to reunite with full NYO forces. Many greetings and laughs later, we dove into sectional rehearsals. After just over three months apart all the sections must once again acclimatise themselves to playing in such large groups, no different in the 18-strong cello section. Much of the first few days were spent finding a collective sound to be proud of. A big part of playing in such an ensemble is the relationships you build with those around you, as string leader it is part of my job to ensure that the section functions well - in and out of the rehearsal room. The kind of people-skills you learn and develop while among an organisation like NYO are invaluable to any profession one might choose to go into later in life. 

On the first evening we entered our first full orchestral rehearsal - an exciting moment as the thought of playing at the BBC Proms dangles in the forefront of our minds. Led by our wonderful associate conductor Tess Jackson, we geared up for a run at the highlight of the programme: Mahler’s 1st Symphony, ’Titan’. 50 minutes later we reconvened with a sense of accomplishment but also a knowledge of the hard work necessary from all of us over the coming days. 

The kind of people-skills you learn and develop while among an organisation like NYO are invaluable to any profession one might choose to go into later in life

Day two came time to delve into the rest of the repertoire including Wagner’s Overture to The Flying Dutchman - a piece with plenty of notes for the strings to get under their fingers, and Missy Mazzoli’s Orpheus Undone - her depiction of the story of Orpheus. Expertly guided by our cello tutor Nick Trygstad, we went into the full orchestra rehearsals feeling prepared for anything. 

The third day held in store another bout of sectionals with a twist: the string section breaking off into five smaller string sections, each assigned to a tutor allowing us to delve deep down into the smallest details of the pieces. We all came out of these rehearsals with a better understanding of the music we were playing. That evening came time to prepare for a BBC Radio 3 ensemble appearance on the day of the Prom, where we will be playing Bocherinni’s ‘Fandango’ Quintet and a creative arrangement of the As One melody written by our resident artist Dani Howard. 

Full string sectionals on day four provided a constant stream of wisdom as each tutor jumped in with comments and suggestions to help us along in producing the best possible music making - pushing the limits of what was thought to be possible with such a large section. 

Day five was the last day with our tutors before being left to our own devices and it included a pleasant surprise in our sectionals: an NYO alumni from 1951 shared his stories with us after we had played to him an arrangement of Wagner’s Parsifal for four cellos. Seeing the reach of NYO over many generations reminded us of the importance of the strong community and history behind the orchestra. This day also marked the day of which the baton was passed from Tess Jackson to our conductor for the tour, Alexandre Bloch. 

As Alexandre climbed atop the rostrum, the orchestra awaited his instructions and he indicated we were to run the Mahler. You could feel the anticipation in the room for what was about to come. During this first rehearsal he showed us how to approach the entity that is a Mahler symphony. Moving onto the string sectional later that day we really got an idea of the kind of detail he was requiring of us; the kind of detail that requires constant concentration. 

Day six brought another day of very detailed work beginning with Wagner and Mazzoli, which gave us an idea of the programme as a whole with Alexandre at the wheel, then moving on to more Mahler where he explained the different characters, giving us an even greater understanding of the music along with an insight into a certain London orchestra’s habit of letting out a wail of triumph when reaching the climax of a movement. 

On day seven came the much needed rest day, which was spent however the NYO musician chose, whether it was staying in bed until noon, or practising for six hours. Football was a popular choice for many (of course attempting to avoid any serious injuries). In the evening came the orchestral playthrough - NYO sight-reading Stravinsky’s Petrushka. Brilliantly, this gave myself and a couple of others the opportunity to conduct the orchestra. Having done bits of conducting here and there this was quite a step up. I don’t think anything could prepare you for the moment when, arms raised, all eyes are on you. 

The final days of rehearsals before the tour often brings out a slightly panicked atmosphere as the days seem to have flown by. But finishing touches on the programme brought the rehearsal process to a nice close. Onto the concert tour briefing: where you can feel the excitement in the room as we go through the logistics of the next few days. 

Like all orchestral rehearsals, ours begin by taking an A from the oboe. But between then and beginning to rehearse, we observe a two minute silence. A long standing tradition, we find this helps to dial in the concentration and provide a bit of quiet in what will pan out to be a very loud day. 

We’re now all set for the tour and I can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to with audiences across the UK. I’m hoping the concerts will reach out to many young people with Free for Teens tickets in Manchester and Saffron Walden. It’s such an amazing experience as a young person to be immersed in the sound of the National Youth Orchestra!

The National Youth Orchestra begins its As One tour with a performance at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, on 7 August 2024, followed by Saffron Walden on 9 August and the BBC Proms on 10 August. Find out more here.