This year I was one of the two student conductors for Junior Strings and it was an absolute pleasure to take this ensemble.

This group includes around 30 year 9 and 10 string players from the Performance Music programme. It is conducted by Anne Clark and Carlo Ballara, assisted by Henry Nicholson and myself.

One of the performance highlights of the year was at the North-West Festival where both Henry and I conducted a piece each. Working towards this performance was challenging as our repertoire was challenging for the students, both technically and musically, however, they were able to take this all in their stride to produce a wonderful performance that the audience thoroughly enjoyed.

They also had the opportunity to take part in the orchestral festival, playing the Boyce Symphony no. 1 conducted by Anne Clark. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to perform to a critical audience as well as gain advice and have a small workshop with members of the CSO.

As the year draws to a close Junior Strings prepares for their annual tour, which Anne Clark has organized for the past seven years. It is always a memorable part of the year for the students, as they must pull together a whole programme of their own and will branch out to more exciting pieces. This year the programme includes selected movements from the Holberg Suite and the Bartok suite “For Children” and a movement from a concerto with two violin soloists, played by two of Junior Strings own violinists. This is always a highlight for the students, as well as the audiences they perform for.

I would like to say a big thank you to my mentors, Anne Clark, Carlo Ballara and Helen Renaud for all the guidance they have given me this year while taking Junior Strings, and also to the students for the hard work and dedication they put into playing their instruments. It truly has been a wonderful year working with this group and I wish all the students the very best in their future musical endeavours.

Marijke Cooper