Cultural Contribution, Mel Le Breuilly, sponsor M&G Real Estate
A musician has reinvigorated Reading Youth Orchestra (RYO) since taking over the running of it and its conducting in 2019.
“Mel Le Breuilly has reinvigorated it with her energy, enthusiasm and superb musicianship.” said her nominator for the Cultural Contribution award.
“Having struggled to stay afloat before Mel’s tenure, RYO’s is now growing rapidly, with an increasingly diverse and inclusive membership,” said the nominator.
“One of the keys to Mel’s success is that, while musical achievement is valued, she has put more focus on RYO becoming a supportive environment.
“By refocusing the ethos of the orchestra to make it a more friendly and relaxed community, the word has spread amongst young people about what a socially inclusive feel it has,” they added.
“This is not to say that musical development isn’t encouraged and Mel has further enabled this by embracing a wider range of repertoire, including compositions and arrangements by the students themselves.
“Mel uses her musical expertise to support this process, combined with a vision which sees RYO participate in exciting projects, collaborating with other local orchestras.”
Recent examples include joining forces with Reading Symphony Orchestra to celebrate both organisations’ 80th anniversaries, and with Reading’s Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra in several projects, including Making Music’s ‘Adopt a Music Creator’ scheme. This led to a world premiere performance in Reading Town Hall being recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, bringing RYO to national prominence.
“Students and parents alike love Mel – her inspirational leadership is the key to Reading Youth Orchestra’s resurgence and its undoubtedly bright future,” they said.
The Cultural Contribution award is sponsored by M&G Real Estate.
