Young Stourport musician gains place in top orchestra (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Young Stourport musician gains place in top orchestra

7:50am Thursday 17th January 2013 in News

A 12-year-old bassoon player from Stourport has hit the right notes after gaining a place in a top children’s orchestra.

Edward Lathe, of Winterfold House School, has been accepted into the under 13 National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) of Great Britain.

Edward has only been playing bassoon for two years but has already gained grade six.

He has also played saxophone for four years and performs with the Wyre Forest Jazz Orchestra and Birmingham Junior Conservatoire.

His mother Rebecca Lathe, said: “The NCO is really difficult to get into as there are only three or four bassoons. It means he is in the top few players for his age.

“He absolutely loves music and spends a lot of spare time and time at school practising. He’s recently started playing the piano and clarinet. It’s expensive but we’re just trying to support him

“He’s only in year seven so obviously it’s very early days but he would love to go into music. I tell him he’s so lucky to find something that he loves to do already.”

Edward had to go to Birmingham to audition for the orchestra where he was filmed playing two pieces of music and two sight reading pieces before being asked questions.

The under 13 orchestra is a full symphony orchestra for children and offers a taste of performing in a major UK concert venue.