African classical music hits world stage as the Africa United Youth Orchestra plays Carnegie Hall

A pioneering pan-African youth orchestra will perform in public for only the second time this weekend – at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO), the first of its kind to bring together musicians from across the continent, is due to play a “once-in-a-lifetime” concert at the legendary venue on 3 August. It will be one of seven international youth ensembles performing during the Carnegie Hall’s world orchestra week.

“I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to play at Carnegie ever again,” says Olawale Olayinka, a Nigerian vioinist and violist. “So this is very, very important for me.”

Olayinka, from Nigeria’s Osun state, did not pursue his love of music as a child because his family thought he could not make a career of it. He only began playing the instrument in his late teens after spotting that the church opposite his university in Lagos was offering free courses.

“I’m working very, very hard to make sure that I give the best of my performance at this coming concert and the best of my attention – the best of my heart to the concert,” says Olayinka.

“We still have a lot of rehearsals to do. And we are looking forward to the festival’s ‘big play’ event, where more than 700 young musicians will join together under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel,” he says, referring to the director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. “We will perform works by John Williams and Beethoven, as well as the much-loved Olympic Fanfare.”

Olayinka was among a few dozen young musicians, mostly in their 20s, chosen from the 220 who auditioned to be part of AUYO earlier this year, from countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique. The New York appearance is being hailed as “a remarkable moment for African classical music on the global stage”.

The orchestra’s debut, led by the American conductor William Eddins, was in late July at the University of South Africa’s Great Hall in Pretoria, with a performance of works from prominent African composers, such as Fatše La Heso (My Country) by Michael Mosoeu Moerane, who in 1941 became the first black South African to write a symphonic poem, and work by Mzilikazi Khumalo.

The AUYO operates under the auspices of South Africa’s government-supported Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra. Mzansi’s artistic director, Bongani Tembe, spearheaded the project to provide opportunities for young talented musicians to flourish.

“The Africa United Youth Orchestra represents a significant milestone in promoting unity, collaboration and excellence across Africa’s diverse cultural tapestry,” he says.

Olayinka says: “It’s important for Africa to have its own united youth orchestra. AUYO is the reason why some people in Africa will ever participate in a youth orchestra.

“I can’t wait to get into New York and meet people from orchestras in Asia, in Venezuela. I need to get a bagel; I need to go to Times Square.

“All my life I have been watching music performed in Carnegie – I am so, so happy. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I believe this is a huge source of encouragement even to my colleagues in Nigeria. Seeing this happen, hearing this happen, it’s going to give hope to a lot of people back home that if I can do this, the younger generation can do better,” he says.

Another AUYO member, Stacey Ann Boyce, 27, from Pretoria, started playing violin at the age of 11. “I actually wanted to learn the cello, but there was no cello teacher close by, and a violin was much cheaper, so I settled on violin,” she says.

“I absolutely love this orchestra. It’s important for us as Africans to realise that we are united in our strengths and weaknesses; we can be there for each other, and share knowledge, opportunity and ideas.

“It’s such an important moment in history for African classical music. Carnegie Hall? I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d ever go there.”