Bournemouth disabled-led orchestra 'removing barriers'
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."
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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