The North London Youth Orchestra is a brand-new youth orchestra for young musicians aged 13 – 19 (school year 7 and above). Based in North London, we rehearse weekly during term time at the Henrietta Barnett School and perform two concerts per academic year.
Our team is made up of like-minded professionals, dedicated to offering memorable and educational music-making opportunites for students to play full symphonic works, whether or not they choose to pursue music as their career.
Our Team
Simon Ferris, Musical Director
Simon Ferris, founder director of North London Youth Orchestra and Thames Youth Orchestra in South London, read music and was organ scholar at King’s College London. As an undergraduate he pursued additional instrumental and musicianship studies with Bernard Oram at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, after graduation, received composition tuition and encouragement from the composer and John Ireland pupil, Geoffrey Bush.
A versatile musician, Simon works as a pianist, composer, arranger, writer, conductor, and teacher. His professional experience ranges from appearing as a classical piano recitalist, to working as a jazz pianist playing at the Cork International Jazz Festival and onstage in London’s West End; from preparing children’s choirs for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to conducting symphonies by Mahler and Shostakovich. He is the composer of an extensive catalogue of choral and educational music, the author of a biography of Beethoven (published by Omnibus Press in 2018), and an educational specialist working on the specification and exam setting panel for Cambridge Assessment.
Simon is currently Director of Music at The Henrietta Barnett School, having been for many years Composer in Residence at Tiffin School, and Musician in Residence at The Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston upon Thames.
- Sanae Honda (Executive Director)
- Alexander McDonald (Assistant Conductor and Wind Coach)
- Samuel Thackray (Orchestra Manager)
- John Crawford (Strings Sectional Leader)
- Hannah Blumsohn (Wind Coach)
- Laura Dodds (Strings Coach)
- Patrick Dodds (Brass Coach)
- Beatrice Driver (Horn Coach)
- Samy Okuma-Chin (Strings Coach)
Rehearsal venue
Henrietta Barnett School, Central Square, London NW11 7BN
Nearest tube station is Golders Green (about a 15-min walk). There is also bus access from Golders Green and East Finchley Tube stations (both on the Northern Line).
There is street parking around the school. Please kindly be considerate to the residents nearby.