Chineke! Junior Orchestra

The Chineke! Junior Orchestra is a youth orchestra of Black and ethnically diverse players aged 11-22. It was founded alongside the Chineke! Orchestra in 2015 with the aim of creating opportunities for emerging and established musicians of Black and ethnically diverse heritage.

Many players already benefit from a number of existing youth schemes, junior music colleges and specialist music schools across the UK. The Chineke! Orchestra plays an important role in this project, with senior players acting as mentors, teachers and role models to the young musicians. In this way, the Chineke! Junior Orchestra acts as a bridge between such schemes and higher education, giving its players experience, encouragement and confidence during their formative years, with the hope of increasing the numbers of Black and ethnically diverse candidates currently studying music at third level.

Chineke! Junior Orchestra provides young musicians with unique opportunities to perform publicly at prestigious venues and occasions. As an Associate Orchestra of the Southbank Centre, the Junior Orchestra performs at the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Clore Ballroom up to 3 times a year for special concerts and at festivals such as Africa Utopia and the Imagine Children’s Festival. Public performances by the Chineke! Juniors include the 2019 CBeebies Prom, a chamber ensemble at the Foundling Museum for HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, for the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at City Hall to commemorate 2019 Black History Month and the full orchestra performance at Eltham Palace as part of Greenwich Festival.