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Disabled-led orchestra 'proves we are good enough'

Emily Ford
BBC News
Eljay Briss A group of musicians pose together with their instruments. They are in front of a deep blue backdrop, with neon lines framing the edges of the image in green, pink, blue and yellow. There is a large pale wooden harp on the left, next to a female musician holding a saxophone, there are two musicians sat down at the front, one holding a violin and one a cello. Behind them is a women holding a clarinet and another holding an electric bass guitar and to the right is a woman in a wheelchair holding an iPad.Eljay Briss
The Bournemouth ensemble of the National Open Youth Orchestra is performing in Poole

A violinist says playing in a disabled-led youth orchestra is "a way of proving we are good enough".

Cass Alabaster plays the violin and viola in the Bournemouth ensemble of the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO).

He said performing in the group has meant having his needs as someone with a disability "understood and accepted".

Cass is set to perform with the national ensemble at the Lighthouse in Poole during a special livestreamed concert at 15:00 BST on Saturday.

He travels from Gosport in Hampshire to Bournemouth to play and says navigating life with a disability can feel "embarrassing".

"My last orchestra tried to send me upstairs, that wasn't really an option because I'm physically disabled," he explained.

"Disabled musicians, you don't have to expect them to be worse - just because they're disabled.

"[NOYO is] a way of proving we are good enough to be in other people's ensembles and worth the extra work of finding accessible routes or other accommodations for."

Eljay Briss A composition image of the musicians playing their instruments against a deep blue backdrop. In the centre is a musician playing the violin, to their left a man plays the cello, behind him a woman plays the harp, another woman plays the bass in the background and to the right of the image a woman is smiling and holding a saxophone.Eljay Briss
Cass plays the violin and says NOYO has made him feel 'understood and accepted'

At least 80% of the NOYO musicians are people with disabilities or neurodivergent, says programme manager Bea Hubble.

The orchestra started 10 years ago and has grown to five regional ensembles across the UK, working with disabled and non-disabled musicians between 11 and 25 years old.

"The idea was to remove barriers for individual musicians who have got disabilities, we wanted to get people playing together - regardless of their disability," Ms Hubble explained.

The performers use acoustic, electronic and accessible instruments, which Ms Hubble says may not be "traditionally found" in an orchestra.

They include a LinnStrument, Seaboard RISE and the clarion, which some musicians play through an iPad with eye or head movements.

Ms Hubble added: "We're here to show people it is possible, it can be done and it brings amazing results."

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