Welcome to the Centre for Wessex Young Musicians
​- home of the Wessex Youth Orchestra

The CWYM (based at the Bournemouth and Poole College of Further Education), is a Saturday morning music centre providing quality ensemble training and music theory classes for young musicians of all ages and stages. Now with more than 200 members (and continuing to expand), it is one of the largest music centres on the South Coast. With three main concerts each season, a Wessex Young Soloists’ Concert Series, highly successful music festival performances, concert tours, charity busking events, visits to London’s West End and Southbank, a Centre newsletter and tuck shop, the CWYM not only offers high quality musical experiences, it makes it a lot of fun too.

The Centre’s largest and best known ensemble is the Wessex Youth Orchestra directed by CWYM Director Susanna Riddell. Now in its 48th season, the WYO regularly appears at Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, across the UK and on international tours to great acclaim. Maintaining a 100% success rate in all WYO appearances at the National Festival of Music for Youth since 2011, and in the summer of 2016, acheiving the additional and indeed the highest accolade currently available to youth orchestras in the UK - Music for Youth's National Partnership Award,  the WYO continues to prove itself as one of the most exciting and successful regional youth orchestras of today. 

An off-shoot of the WYO is the Wessex Youth Chamber Orchestra, a group of 35 or so WYO musicians who come together for one-off performances of chamber repertoire. Whilst the WYO and WYCO offer access to a wide range of musical experiences for the Centre’s more advanced musicians, the CWYM’s other ensembles remain equally important.  They provide vital training for our younger musicians (and possibly future members of the WYO) in both the preliminary and intermediate stages of their musical education. There are two string orchestras – Wessex Starter Strings and Wessex Middle Strings, two concert wind bands – Wessex Junior Fanfare and Wessex Youth Fanfare, and our newest venture the Wessex Young Apprentices Orchestra. The range of Saturday morning activities is complimented by music theory classes, covering the necessary knowledge of grades 1-5 ABRSM Music Theory.

Not forgetting our fantastic team of SWYM (Society for Wessex Young Musicians) volunteers and parent helpers who run the Centre tuck shop, assist with CWYM fundraising or simply become the “movers and shifters”, Saturday mornings at the CWYM are busy, noisy, full of energy and laughter. We’re very proud of our family-friendly atmosphere, why not try it yourselves? Come and join the Wessex family!

2019-20 Season Term dates:
Season Launch - Saturday September 21st
9.30am - 12pm

Term dates:
Autumn:
Saturday September 28th - Saturday November 30th 2019 
Spring:
WYO - Saturday January 4th - Sunday March 8th 2020 
CWYM ensembles - Saturday January 11th - Saturday March 7th TBC
Summer:
Saturday April 25th - Saturday July 4th 2019

Rehearsal Location: Jellicoe Theatre Building, College, Danecourt Road, Parkstone, BH14 0PQ
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CWYM Projects
For information on 2018-19 season CWYM Projects, including the Great Wessex Windies Day 2019, please click here.

WYO Auditions

Want to audition for the WYO? Now's your chance.. the next set of auditions will take place in September. For further information on current vacancies, please click here.

2019-20 Concert Dates:
"Wessex Centre Stage!"  - 3pm Sunday December 1st 2019 - WYO and CWYM Ensembles - Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts 
"Spring Concert" - CWYM Ensembles - Saturday March 7th 2020 - Jellicoe Theatre, The College. 
"Gala Concert" - Wessex Youth Orchestra - 3pm Sunday March 8th 2020 - Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts
"Best of British" - 6pm CWYM Ensembles, 7.30pm WYO, Saturday July 4th 2019 - Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts