Tess Jackson on how the National Youth Orchestra shaped her as a musician

Classical music has always been a big part of my life – I lived in Germany until I was 12, where my dad was the music director of our local opera house. My three siblings and I grew up playing in school orchestras, which kickstarted my love of the symphonic repertoire and of playing with other musicians.

I started out in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) second violins when I was 14. I distinctly remember the first course – the nerves, the excitement, and how overwhelming it was to see and hear 160 teenage musicians in one room! We were playing Elgar's First Symphony, conducted by John Wilson, and it was the first time I'd ever played a piece of that scale. I still use many of the tips and tricks of ensemble playing that we learnt in those tutti and sectional rehearsals, and it's so rewarding to pass them on to current NYO musicians.

Two highlights stand out from my time with NYO, as violinist and now as assistant conductor. The first was playing Mahler's Ninth Symphony with Sir Mark Elder at the BBC Proms in 2015. It is such a powerful piece that teenagers do not normally get the chance to play, and living those intense emotions at that age was an incredibly profound experience.

Jackson 'fell in love' with Gavin Higgins' Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra at the 2022 BBC Proms. She led the NYO's performance of it in April 2024 (Image courtesy of NYO)

The other is more recent – conducting Gavin Higgins' Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the Royal Festival Hall with the combined forces of NYO and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. I first heard the piece at the 2022 BBC Proms with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ryan Bancroft and the Tredegar Brass Band and completely fell in love with it, so it was pretty special to revisit it!

Having the chance to play at such a high standard so young has undoubtedly shaped me as a musician. Being in an environment where I was surrounded by so many like-minded teenagers, phenomenal coaches, and world-class conductors challenged my musicality and creativity. Drove me to keep improving, practising, and performing at that standard and with those people. I am still constantly inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the NYO musicians, and I come away from every course with a renewed passion for classical music.

The piece I'll be conducting at the BBC Proms this year is a celebration of 10 years of NYO Inspire. The Inspire programme has provided musical opportunities to thousands of young people who have faced barriers to making music a bigger part of their lives. It consists of free high-quality ensemble music opportunities that range from one-day events to three-day and week-long residencies. Many musicians who take part go on to join NYO (making up 38 per cent of the current cohort). I first worked with NYO on one of the woodwind ensemble courses in Blackpool. Over three days, we worked on ensemble repertoire and ran creative and leadership sessions, including a ‘Dragons Den’ workshop! The challenge was to pitch ideas on how to introduce classical music to a music-less alien society – there were some wonderfully wacky and creative suggestions.

The highlight of every NYO Inspire course is seeing the musicians' transformation from day one to the final day of the residency. Not only has their musical confidence increased massively, but the social benefits from being around like-minded peers are huge.

Our performance at the Proms will be the culmination of As One, the musical journey which connects young people across the nation by inspiring them to play music together and be part of something bigger. It started on social media, with musicians sharing their versions of the As One melody, composed by Dani Howard. It gained momentum during the NYO Inspire Orchestra's national tour, reaching thousands of secondary school students nationwide. The unifying moment will be 100 Inspire musicians sharing the stage with the NYO’s 160 musicians to perform Dani Howard's new piece at the Proms, connecting the thousands of young musicians who have been a part of the journey this summer and over the last decade.

Jackson: 'The social benefits from being around like-minded peers are huge' © Ben Ealovega

NYO Inspire is particularly important right now when orchestral and musical opportunities have been diminishing for young people at all stages of musical development. 42 per cent of schools in England no longer enter pupils for Music GCSE, and there has been a 15 per cent decline in children learning an instrument. Celebrating teenage music-making and bringing together this community of musicians from across the country at the BBC Proms is, therefore, so important and a privilege to be a part of. My first time performing at the BBC Proms was with NYO, so to be making my Proms conducting debut ten years later with the same Orchestra is a real full circle moment!

My other personal highlights of this year's BBC Proms are Garsington Opera's Proms debut with their incredible production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle, and Florence + The Machine!

For any young musicians considering joining NYO, there is no better and more supportive community to be a part of. Whether that's through NYO Inspire, NYO Open, or the NYO Orchestra, it is the best way to grow as a musician, and you will make friends and memories for life!

Tess Jackson will conduct the NYO in the world premiere of Dani Howard's Three, Four AND…in Prom 30 on Saturday 10 August. Tickets can be found here.