Warwickshire News Mine

The County Music Service, which is part of Warwickshire County Council, has joined two of its performance groups - the Youth Chorale and Youth Waits - to present a varied programme of choral and early music at 7.30pm on Saturday 24 March. Tickets are £5 (£3) on the door.

Warwickshire Youth Waits is a well-established renaissance music group with players aged from 13-19 years. One of the highlights of the concert will be the first public performance given by the newly formed ‘Sackbut and Cornetts’ group, which is the brass section of Youth Waits. The sackbut is a medieval form of trombone and the cornett is a predecessor of the trumpet. The sackbuts were specially made in London last August for the Warwickshire County Youth Waits thanks to funds from the Arthur Robert Higley Memorial Fund, which was originally a Rugby-based charity set up to help young musicians.

Michael Williamson, Manager of Performance Groups for Warwickshire County Council’s Music Service, said: “It is particularly fitting that the special sackbut performance is taking place in Rugby, because it is thanks to the foresight of a charity which was set up in the town that we can hear this rare instrument today.”
Warwickshire Youth Waits have played in venues across the county including Warwick Castle, Middleton Hall, Guy Nelson Hall and Lord Leycester Hospital, together with out of county performances at Canons Ashby National Trust and Lichfield Guildhouse.

The County Youth Chorale is directed by Garry Jones, Director of County Music Service, assisted by Sheila Russell, Head of Choral, and the Youth Waits are directed by Alison Kinder with Claire McIntyre, both of whom teach for CMS.

Link to WCC