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Ray Gallagher on the Late ShowRay Gallagher became interested in music when he was eight years old. Keen to make a big noise in music circles, he chose the trombone to hone his musical skills although he wasn't averse to a bit of singing either. After leaving school he pursued his musical interests further and moved from his home in Kent to study at Hull University. He liked Hull so much he decided to stay once he'd finished his degree.

Ray Gallagher

Although he would have been keen to pursue a professional career within the music industry, opportunities at director and conductor level are in short supply and Ray is manager in the retail industry. He still maintains his passion for music which is why he's been the conductor and musical director of the Hull Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (HPYO) for the last ten years, a position he enjoys tremendously. Now he wants to change the orchestra's brief and bring new talent to replace some of the members who left recently.

Ray says: "Unfortunately, this orchestra has become dated, and people's understanding of the orchestra, and what its name stands for has become lost. The orchestra has struggled in terms of recruitment overt the last few years, and in the last few months this has beenΜύ particularly difficult, as a result of losing over half of our players when they moved to universities around the country last summer."

He added: "The new 'Hull & East Yorkshire Youth POPS Orchestra', is to be born from the remnants of the old HPYO. The orchestra will concentrate solely on playing modern music, drawn from films, the stage and the charts. It's values will be built on popular and entertaining works, which both players and audiences alike will appreciate and enjoy. In short it will be a youth orchestra, aimed at the youth of the area, playing the sort of music they enjoy the most. We will also be the first β€œPOPS” orchestra in the area, and we welcome players regardless of where they live or attend school.

"Being a β€œPOPS” orchestra also enables us to welcome a wider range of instrumentalists, as we will actively embrace modern music diversity. For instance as well as traditional orchestral instruments, we can welcome guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, and saxophones."

Ray and the Hull Phil in Barcelona

During his interview, Ray talked about some of the concerts the previous orchestra gave. Not all concerts are local and the orchestra has had lots of opportunity to travel abroad to perform. Most notably Ray recalls trips to Dublin and a successful trip in 2006 to Barcelona, which proved quite an interesting experience for the young players who entertained members of the public in the city.

The orchestra in Barcelona

Ray would like to hear from anyone who's interested in joining the orchestra to get in touch. He says: "Rehearsals take place on Fridays during term time at All Saints Junior School, Northolme Road, Hessle. Players between grades 1-5 should come between 6-7pm and join our Debut Ensemble. Players of grade 5 ability and above shouldΜύ come between 7-9pm, and join our Concert Orchestra.

"In the Debut Ensemble members will be encouraged in the basics of playing in a group environment, and associated skills will be taught and developed. They will participate in regular events where they can perform in public in informal settings, such as coffee mornings, with the aim of developing into members of the Concert Orchestra.

"The Concert Orchestra will offer young people the chance to perform locally in concerts and at other events, as well as undertake tours both in the UK and abroad, and to participate in residential workshops. The orchestra is entirely self funding, and receive no grants or subsidies from either local authorities, or the artsΜύ council and welcomes sponsorship from local companies who might like to support them.

Contact details:

Tel:
Landline: 01482 501614
MobileΜύΜύ : 07737 984894