James Lowe (Orchestra United) interview

As a boy, James Lowe went to a comprehensive school in a mining town in Nottinghamshire. Today, he is a conductor, and one of the rising stars of the classical music world. But James fears that fewer and fewer kids from non-privileged backgrounds are getting the chance to experience classical music, and whole generations of musicians may be being lost as a result.

In an effort to combat this alarming trend Lowe, with the Hallé, set up the Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra. The extraordinary events that followed are the subject of a new four-part series on Channel 4, Orchestra United. Here, Lowe explains a little more about this remarkable project...


The series follows the first year of the Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra. What was the concept of the orchestra?

"Basically, it was about creating an orchestra that really reflected Manchester’s community – it’s a terrifically diverse place. Despite the Herculean efforts of Music Services across the country, with the funding and also, music education being what it is nowadays, there are lots of kids who are in really great danger of slipping through the net, never having come across classical music, let alone played it. So we wanted to do something about those two things. Also, I wanted to see if classical music was relevant to teenagers, and whether it could shape people’s lives and unite different parts of the community."

Why were you so keen to get involved?

"For years, all of my career, really, I’ve been trying to get across the message that classical music is relevant to everyone. It’s not something just for rich people. If you feel emotions and you are moved by things, then classical music is talking about you. I come from a normal comprehensive school background, and one of the things that made me really sad is that if I was at the school I went to now, I wouldn’t have the opportunities nowadays that I had when I was at school in the 90s. So I wanted to do something to redress that balance a little bit, and obviously we only had 75 or 80 kids in the orchestra, but at least we managed to grab those people."

When you say they’re likely to miss that opportunity, what do you mean? Most of the children involved in the orchestra were already learning an orchestral instrument, so they weren’t necessarily lost to classical music.

"Well, there’s such a range of different kinds of people in the orchestra that it’s difficult to talk specifically about all of them. But there are people in the orchestra who had never heard classical music before, and actually didn’t play an orchestral instrument – we took some bass guitarists and gave them double bass lessons. So we’ve got them on one end, and on the other end we’ve got the leader of the orchestra, Emma, who’s a fantastic player and has huge experience of playing in orchestras all over the place. So it was a whole range, and there really were some kids who might never have come across classical music but for this project. And, of course, there were others who were already quite well-versed in it."

So how did the selection process work?

"We auditioned about 340 kids individually – which is a hell of a lot. It might not sound it, but it is when you’re doing it. What we were really looking for was musical potential – musicality – and if we felt that they would really gain something and grow through this project, then we took them. What was more important for us, rather than ability, was taking the people who we really thought would benefit from the project – kids who had a huge amount of potential who we felt we could maybe help along the way."

What made the kids come along to the auditions? As you say, some of them didn’t even play orchestral instruments.

"I think the researchers did a great job in going out and finding people. We actively sought people out. And we also got curious people coming along to see what it was all about. As we get older, we learn to put things in boxes, and it becomes accepted that certain things aren’t for us. I think teenagers haven’t learned that lesson yet, thankfully. They’re much more open-minded, so I think we got a lot of kids in just to see what the hell we were trying, really. We also had great support from the local Music Services in seeking young talent out."

What was the standard like at auditions?

"What I was thrilled about was that everybody who auditioned was innately musical. Of course, we took a huge range of experience – we had some kids there at an extremely high level – about to go to music college – and then some who really are at the opposite end of the spectrum. But everyone we took we thought had huge musical ability and great potential."

And how far were you planning to get with them in the one year? What were your ambitions for the project?

"Before we started it, we had one fixed goal, which was that at the end of the project we were going to do a proper classical concert with actual classical repertoire in the Bridgewater Hall. That was our goal, the holy grail we were aiming for. What level that was going to be at we had no idea. This was such uncharted territory, with such a mix. I have to say, I think we were all really blown away by quite how far everybody came. We constantly had to move the goalposts and make it more cHallénging – I don’t think any of us expected them to do quite what they managed. The potential of kids at that age is incredible."

What’s the key to creating a good orchestra? Presumably it’s about more than just having good individual musicians?

"Yeah, absolutely. There are loads of skills that you need. One of the most important, actually, is listening. It’s very easy to have an orchestra of 75-80 people, and what you’ve actually got is 75-80 people playing at the same time. That’s very different from an orchestra. With an orchestra you’re always trying to get people to be sensitive to what’s important at the time, what’s going on, where their contribution is relevant – are they the most important voice at that time, or are they just accompanying something?

"All of these kind of skills, which also happen to be great life lessons as well. And then, of course – and I hate saying this, because it sounds terribly old-fashioned – there’s discipline. The thing with music is, the more you work at it, the more you get out of it. We kind of live in a culture today, with X Factor and Big Brother, of instant celebrity, and I think classical music is the complete opposite of that. It needs work. But if you do that work, it enables you to do things that you really didn’t think were possible. For me, the most exciting moments in the project were when somebody did something they didn’t think they’d be able to do. To see that moment is a great privilege."

Dealing with an orchestra of teenagers, I imagine you had to deal with your fair share of arguments, fallings out and romances?

"Oh God yes! Absolutely. That’s all part of it. I know that sounds like hell to some people, but for me that’s part of the delight of the process. For me, people of that age are so much more in touch with their emotions, and so much more honest about showing them. For music, that’s great. Somebody once said that you can’t play great music until your heart’s been broken. With kids of that age, it’s happening right there. For me as a conductor it’s a question of trying to channel all that raw emotional energy into the music. And showing them that it’s all there – Sibelius and Stravinsky and Beethoven, they were all feeling the same things 100 or 200 years ago that they’re feeling now."

You’ve said the most exciting point of it all was seeing people achieve more than they ever thought they could, but what were the other high and low points of the experience?

"In terms of low points, when you’re trying to get people to work, there’s a long time when you don’t see the results of it – you feel you’re just treading water or going backwards. When the project starts, everyone’s excited, and when you’re pushing towards the end, everyone’s really pushing through to the end, but right in the middle there’s a huge feeling of “Oh God, it’s a Sunday in the middle of February, it’s cold and wet and raining, it’s 10am, what the hell am I doing here? Why aren’t I still in bed?” So there was quite a lot of that.

"Other high points? Reaching the goals of doing the concerts. And for me, meeting so many great characters. It’s interesting for me how different people’s personalities come out through their instruments. For example Emma, the leader of the orchestra, if you meet her, she’s really small and very softly spoken, but as soon as you put a violin in her hand, my God. There’s a huge will and willpower and confidence and expression in there. That’s what I love. I love getting to know people through their playing. That’s a great joy of my job every day."

Looking back, then, how did you find the experience overall? Would you do it again?

"I guess it’s a little bit like – not having done it myself – giving birth. It’s agony at the time, but as soon as it’s done, you forget, and you want to do it again. I think it’s like that with all of these sorts of projects – there’s a huge amount of effort, and there’s an awful lot of drama and problems and stuff that goes with it. But everything worthwhile takes effort."

What will happen to the orchestra now?

"Well, the very sad thing is that due to funding nowadays – when things get cut, music tends to be right at the front of the queue – so the project lasted for a year, and at the moment has stopped. But the Hallé are being very good about keeping in contact with everyone individually, and making sure they’re given opportunities. Some have gone into the Hallé’s main youth orchestra, some have gone into other regional things, so they’re trying to make sure everyone’s maximising their talents.

"I want very much to have this orchestra meet up a couple of times a year, just over weekends, and get together and play. The orchestra won’t die, but as a weekly event it can’t go on. Another reason I wanted to do this programme is to show to people that actually this is really important stuff, it’s not just about rich kids having a lark. It’s actually incredibly important, and I think, when times are hard, as they are now, far from being less important, I think music becomes more important."

Did you encounter any musicians who could turn professional?

"Oh yes, absolutely. I would say there were a few in there. The professional music business is very tough indeed, ands the standard of people coming out of music college every year is just higher and higher. But yeah, we had a few. I can’t wait to meet some of them professionally."

If you had to give one piece of advice to budding musicians out there, what would it be?

"I would say, keep your ears open, listen to everything you possibly can, and just keep going. Don’t give up."


Orchestra United airs at 7pm on Sundays from 25th July 2010 on Channel 4.