Worcester Youth Jazz Orchestra, Combo Sapiens

As part of the Malvern Civic Society community week we invite you to enjoy an early evening concert for all the family with...

Worcestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra & Combo Sapiens (The Barcelona youth Jazz band)

WYJO have performed at an impressive number of events and venues around the region including the Pershore, Malvern and Upton jazz festivals, Huntingdon Hall, The Swan, No.8 and Artrix theatres, Caldwell Castle, Himley Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham and big band weekends in Hayling Island and Weston - Super - Mare. Averaging 10 public and private performances a year throughout the county and further afield, WYJO is certainly kept busy flying the flag for Severn Arts. WYJO has performed in concerts with some of the biggest names in British jazz: Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Trevor Emney, Pete Long, Georgina Jackson, Mark Nightingale, John Ruddick MBE, Percy Pursglove, Enrico Tomasso and Julian Siegel.

WYJO have recorded two CD’s, "The Horn Ultimatum” and “The Horn Legacy” and have also recorded the music for an episode of a Dutch children’s TV show "Dip & Dap". They have toured abroad twice, playing gigs in Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Many players in WYJO have gone on to study music at University and Music College and are
now having successful careers in music. Two ex - WYJO members have been the Winners of the UK Yamaha / All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award.

In 2015 Escola de Música del Palau de Barcelona created Combo Sapiens, a modern instrumental band. It comprises twelve young musicians aged between eleven and sixteen, two adult musicians and two directors. The band has performed many public concerts, both within and outside the school. It has developed a personality of its own, and now covers a range of musical styles – jazz, funk, swing latin and rock.