OFA Founder Marianna Hay awarded an MBE

"I am thrilled and delighted to have been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to music education. However, this honour is certainly not for me alone. It reflects over ten years of extraordinary collective effort. I started out in 2007 as a nervous first year music teacher at Highbury Grove School, Islington as part of the Teach First scheme. I immediately had the good luck to find myself in a school led by an inspirational and supportive head, Truda White, who encouraged me to establish the school's first orchestral programme. Inspired by my students but also frustrated by the barriers they faced in accessing orchestral music-making outside school, I set up Orchestras for All (OFA) in 2011. We started with the National Orchestra for All (NOFA), an orchestra that is open to anyone whatever their circumstances, personal challenges or musical standard. With thanks to three founding partners - Teach First, Achievement for All and Music First - we ran our first course in 2011 for 35 exceptional young people, our founding members.

Since then OFA has grown into an organisation of which I am extremely proud, thanks to so many people who have each played a crucial role - the OFA staff team, trustees, tutors, volunteers, advisors, teachers, schools, partners, funders, guest artists, families, carers, alumni and of course our incredible young musicians. Over the past ten years, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have worked with OFA to open up the transformative experience of orchestral music-making to young people who might not otherwise had the chance. I am immensely grateful to everyone for all they have done and continue to do to make the OFA vision a reality.”

Marianna Hay

From us all at Orchestras for All, congratulations Marianna! We are so proud of you and thank you for all you have done to support young people facing barriers to music making throughout the UK.

Welcome to our new Trustees - NOFA alumni Beth and Joelle!

Orchestras for All believes in the power and importance of young people’s voices. We know that young people have great ideas and important opinions to share about decisions that affect them. Our ambition is to ensure their voices lead the organisation forward, supercharging its future.

National Orchestra for All members already co-create new music that enables their collective voice to be heard throughout NOFA performances, both in style and content. We also have Young Leaders (members aged 16 - 18) and Ambassadors (alumni aged 18 - 20) who take on leadership roles across the year, offering fresh insights and perspectives to lead, motivate, inspire, champion and develop our work and practice.

Now, as the next step in this vital area, we’re excited to announce the appointment of our first Trustees recruited from NOFA alumni: Beth White and Joelle Sogunro.

Beth and Joelle will join our eight existing Trustees, supporting crucial discussions in the lead-up to the launch of a new five-year strategy in Spring 2021 that will continue our mission to break down barriers young people face to music making.

Having been part of Orchestras for All programmes in recent years, Joelle and Beth will bring their own unique experiences to the conversation.

“I’ve been part of Orchestras for All since 2016 and gained so much knowledge and musical appreciation from the charity, which I’m really grateful for. I’d like to take this opportunity to give back to OFA, an organisation that has given me so much.”

— Joelle Sogunro, Trustee

“I would like to bring the voice of the people that benefit from, or have benefitted from, the programmes at Orchestras for All. I’m excited to support OFA to launch its new strategy in Spring 2021 in the best way possible.”

— Beth White, Trustee

Over the coming year, we will be exploring the next evolution of our youth voice strategy, bringing together voices from our Modulo schools with those of National Orchestra for All members past and present in a Youth Advisory Board, chaired by Joelle and Beth.

We’re so excited for a future that integrates youth voice into all conversations; a future that provides a different insight, perspective and representation of our young people, that brings fresh perspectives and challenges our thinking, and which builds a network of advocates for the future.

Or, to think of it another way (and to paraphrase from the inspirational work of Contact, Manchester): If Orchestras for All was a stick of rock, wherever you break it you’d find young people leading - it’s at the core of everything we do.

Beth and Joelle at their first Trustee meeting

---

Find out more about Beth and Joelle by clicking on their names below, and meet all of our Trustees here.

Meet Beth

"Being a music production student and trumpet player from Durham, I didn’t have access to any orchestral opportunities growing up - until Orchestras for All was founded. I played within OFA programmes for seven years and in recent years have undertaken volunteer roles. With experience in both classical and popular music, I’ve played in numerous notable venues and with numerous artists, such as Dave Stewart from Eurythmics. These are opportunities that I likely wouldn’t have been able to access without the confidence OFA has instilled in me.

My individual love for music has now developed into a love for sharing music, and giving young musicians the help that I was given, in order to give everyone a fair chance. Music has a strong power that can make us feel every emotion, and it’s this magic that keeps us coming back."

Meet Joelle

"Hello! I am Joelle and have been a part of Orchestras for All since 2016 as a National Orchestra for All member, then as an Ambassador, and now as a Trustee!

I started off in the NOFA trumpet section, but in 2017 started learning the cello aged 17, and so joined the string section for my final year despite being a complete beginner. One of the awesome things about NOFA is that it welcomes players of all abilities to join, and so coming to NOFA every year alone was a huge motivation for me to continue with music at all, especially as I am currently studying a STEM subject at university.

Being a part of NOFA has opened up many opportunities for me, including helping me to join a brass band and several orchestras over the years, so now I would really like to take this opportunity to give back to the charity as a Trustee, and do what I can to help OFA grow. I look forward to working with OFA over the coming year and seeing the impact we have on young people close-up, especially during these trying times."