September 2008: Welcome back after the long summer break. Next July, the band will be touring Holland so we need all your support at the various concerts throughout the year. All proceeds will be used to fund this tour. Thank you.
July 1st 2007: With a stroke of good fortune, a rare sunny interval during a weekend of heavy rainfall coincided with the timing of WYJO's perfomance at the bandstand in Sanders Park, Bromsgrove. To the delight of the crowd and proud parents, young Samuel Hattersley made his conducting debut - see pictures in the gallery.
July 2007: Hot on the heels of a superb and powerful performance of musical excellence at the Upton Jazz Festival, WYJO, the Worcestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra, together with special guest Pete Long, will be performing at the Artrix Theatre, Bromsgrove on Wednesday 4th July. Tickets are priced at just £5, with curtain up at 7.30pm
Building on their success in the world of jazz, WYJO Musical Director Ian Hattersley said: “The Artrix is a fantastic venue and it promises to be an amazing evening. Performing with Pete Long and the orchestra will be an absolute delight.”
Clarinet and alto sax musician, Pete Long, has played and supported world famous artists such as Lionel Richie, Sting, creating musical arrangements for Sir Paul McCartney, amongst others.
The orchestra is ranked as one of the finest jazz groups in the county and increases its reputation year on year. Said Mr Hattersley: “ The orchestra loves what they do, taking pleasure in performing a selection of arrangements for their audience. Focused at all times, we work to ensure they have as many opportunities they need to grow and develop as musicians.”
All aspiring WYJO members are encouraged to audition from an early age, as there is no minimum age, only an upper age limit of 25 years.
30th May 2007: WYJO band members enjoyed another great day out at Alton Towers arranged by the committee in recognition of another excellent year. A selection of pictures can be found in the gallery.
5th December 2006: This years Christmas Concert was another great success, raising £300 for the Royal Btitish Legion. They are major supporters of WYJO allowing us to use their facilities throughout the year completely free of charge. The friendly bar staff always make us feel very welcome. A selection of pictures from the concert are available to view in the gallery.
5th November 2006: WYJO will taking part in a day-long Youth Jazz Workshop on 5th November at the Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester. It is hoped that his FREE event will help identify new band members for the new and exciting WYJO-2 as an intermediate step before full membership of WYJO. Click here (info) for more details of this event
15th October 2006: The band's performance at the Big Band Weekend in Hayling Island was a great success. We received many compliments and a standing ovation. A selcetion of pictures is now avaialable in the gallery
14th September 2006: It's that time of year again when the universities rob us of some of our older musicians. This year, we are loosing the following:- Jonathan Godsall (Drums) is off to Bristol to study music. Emma Dyson (Alto Sax) is off to York to study Biology. May Caulkin (Tenor Sax) is off to Truro to study jazz. Colette Rollins (Baritone Sax) is off to Newcastle to study medicine. Lucy Jones (Trombone) is off to Cardiff to study Medicine. Adam Evans (Tenor Sax) is working for a sound production company. We wish them all well with their studies, and thank them for their loyal commitment to the band.
We have a few new members. Please welcome Tessa Hawes (Alto Sax), Andy Jones (Tenor/Baritone Sax), Dan Haliday (Drums), Joseph Robert (Trumpet).
8th September 2006: The opening concert at the Pershore Jazz Festival was a great success. Guest artist Bruce Adams was extremely complimentary about the band and described WYJO as "truly inspirational". Many people commented that this was one of WYJO's best performance to-date. Some pictures are now available to view in the gallery.
9th August 2006: WYJO will be performing at the Pershore Jazz Festival on Friday 8th September in No.8 Theatre from 8.00pm together with special guest and award winning trumpeter, Bruce Adams. WYJO Musical Director Ian Hattersley said: “The Pershore Jazz Festival is a successful community based event and one that WYJO looks forward to performing at each year.”
A continuation of the annual Jazz Festival, now an established event, the 3 day Pershore Jazz festival will ensure visitors will be spoilt with the sheer choice of ‘jazz’ sounds and individual ‘jazz’ solos, performed at venues in and around Pershore town centre, pubs and at the No.8 Theatre. Said Mr Hattersley: “We are delighted to be performing with Bruce Adams at this year’s festival and I would encourage anyone with the slightest interest in jazz to come along.”
The Festival begins on Friday 8th September and runs until Sunday 10th with the festival closing at 10.30pm. Tickets cost £7.00, concessions £6.00 and are available from Event Organisers on Tel: 01386 555488.
16th July 2006: Since the conert at the Swan Theatre, we have received the following very positive comments from Mark Nightingale:- "Working with WYJO was a tremendously positive experience. The band pulled out all the stops and really rose to the occasion for our concert at the Swan Theatre. WYJO is a credit to the county, and a great asset to current and future generations of young musicians in Worcestershire."
12th July 2006: This years end of term concert at the Swan Theatre in Worcester was a great success. Our special guest, Mark Nightingale, worked with the trombone and rhythm sections during the afternoon and performed some wonderful new pieces with them in the evening. A small selection of pictures are now in the gallery. There were many very positive comments from the audience and Mark Nightingale. Finally, the audience were treated to a rendition of Stephen Baldwin's robotic dancing.
4th July 2006: The band was invited to performed as part of the 3rd Annual Droitwich Spa Music Festival held at the Royal British Legion Club to a small but very appreciative audience. A small selection of pictures are now in the gallery.
4th July 2006: Pictures taken at the Upton Jazz Festival have been received courtessy of Mark Austin of smart-arts.co.uk Mark also runs a jazz website british-jazz.co.uk Very soon, you will be able to buy WYJO DVD's from these sites.
1st July 2006: The concert at Birlingham Village Hall was a great success. The villagers that attended thanked us for a really enjoyable night, and were impressed by the quality of the performance. Some pictures are available in the gallery
25th June 2006: The band put together another enjoyable performance from the bandstand in Sanders Park, Bromsgrove. This is a wonderful venue that attracts families and local residents of all ages. The audience stayed to the end despite some light rain towards the end, and the lure of the England World Cup match. A small selection of photographs are available in the gallery.
24th June 2006: The BBC Hereford & Worcester Radio programme was broadcast this evening. Use the following link to hear the programme again http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/hereworc.shtml from here, select John Hellings' Big Bands. The recording features interviews with Ian and members of the band, plus a couple of recordings of WYJO in action.
24th June 2006: The band delivered two great performances at the Upton Jazz Festival, receiving more positive reviews and comments. The sunny weather added to the enjoyment.
13th June 2006: During rehearsal, various members of the band were interviewed by John Hellings from BBC Radio - Hereford & Worcester for a feature programme to be broadcast during he next few weeks - Dates and times to follow........
31st May 2006: The band enjoyed a great day out at Alton Towers. A small selection of pictures are available in the gallery including a very scared Graham Irving (Senior).......