Introducing the Chineke! Junior Orchestra

Introducing the musicians that make up the Chineke! Junior Orchestra.

The Chineke! Orchestra works closely with its sister ensemble, the Chineke! Junior Orchestra; a youth orchestra of Black and ethnically diverse players aged 11-22. Both ensembles were founded simultaneously in 2015 with the aim of creating opportunities for emerging and established musicians of Black and ethnically diverse heritage.

Many of our Junior Orchestra players already benefit from a number of existing youth schemes, junior music colleges and specialist music schools across the UK. The Chineke! Orchestra plays an important role in this project, with senior players acting as mentors, teachers and role models to the young musicians. In this way, the Chineke! Junior Orchestra acts as a bridge between such schemes and higher education, giving its players experience, encouragement and confidence during their formative years, with the hope of increasing the numbers of Black and ethnically diverse candidates currently studying music at third level. This process has already begun, with several of our Chineke! Juniors winning full scholarships to the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music.

Film by Antonio Lewis