Dates: b.1989
Nationality: British
Period: 21st Century
Genre: Orchestral
Key musical elements:
- Timbre and form/structure
About Charlotte Harding
Charlotte is a composer and saxophonist from East Yorkshire
She grew up playing folk, jazz and pop music and went on to study composition at the Royal College of Music in London
In her work, Charlotte likes to explore how acoustic and electronic musical languages can fuse together
'My favourite part about being a composer is getting to collaborate on projects with lots of other creative people - musicians, dancers, sound engineers, film makers, lighting designers …to name a few!'
'I've loved exploring what the orchestra has been in the past, what it sounds like now, and what it might become in the future!'
About the music:
The original piece was written for the National Open Youth Orchestra, who were joined by players from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales to premiere the work at The Barbican, London in June 2026. Charlotte has created an adaptation especially for BBC Ten Pieces. It condenses many ideas and concepts from the original into this abridged version.
The National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) is a pioneering inclusive orchestra where 11-25 year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians rehearse and perform together.
This composition was inspired by a piece written in 1945 by Benjamin Britten, which itself was inspired by a piece written by Henry Purcell 250 years earlier. This means that this project has been passed from composer to composer for over 300 years!
Listen out for:
The different sections of the orchestra – the winds, brass, percussion, electronics, strings, keys and how they work together to create the orchestral sound
The electronic elements in this 21st century orchestra – the synthesizer, Clarion, vox audio samples and electric bass
The ‘This is Our Orchestra’ rhythm
Echoes of the orchestral languages of the past and present – the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras
The main theme which comes from Purcell’s ‘Rondeau’, which was part of a larger suite of music written to accompany a play called ‘Abdelazer’.
The five sections: Particles, Individuals, Sections, Palettes, and Tutti.
Watch and listen to the full piece performed by the National Open Youth Orchestra
Watch the first performance of Charlotte Harding's The Orchestra: A Young Person's Guide
NARRATION
I - PARTICLES It moves the energy in the air,Particles, frequencies, vibes, sync into our skin, our bones, our hearts, our souls,Waves of potential - traditional, experimental - enliven our senses through notes and tones, That are heard, performed, composed, evolved by this unique sonic formula -This is our orchestra … II - INDIVIDUALS So this orchestra - itʼs the sum of its parts,Vibrations start with individual bows, breaths, valves, keys pressed, Strings, sticks, the flick of a switch,And in this orchestra, everyone fits … III - SECTIONS From individuals, to aural connections,When instruments come together they unify into sections; Winds, brass, percussion, electronics, strings, keys, Melodic, homophonic, bass lines, voices, textures, beats - Thereʼs strength in numbers, we' re players in a team … IV - PALETTES From individuals, to sections, to an orchestral palette of kaleidoscopic colours that can paint and inhabit, Realities, dreams, stories on a screen, variations on a theme; blue, red, yellow, green,A portal to worlds of imagination, or a personal key for emotional articulation … V - TUTTI This orchestra echoes the past, sounds in the present, Itʼs creating a future sonically incandescent,Itʼs a symphonic celebration of all that we are, An open invitation to all play our part,A universal language of joy and endeavour, That moves us most when we are tutti, together.
The Orchestra: A Young Person's Guide performed by NOYO at BBC Proms 2026 in Bristol
Lesson plan (KS2/2nd level/Progression Step 3)
Download the lesson plan for four lessons of learning and activities for The Orchestra: A Young Person's Guide (PDF)
Open Orchestras resources
BBC Ten Pieces partner, Open Up Music, have created Open Orchestras resources to accompany the abridgement of Charlotte Harding's piece. These resources are ideal for practitioners who may be starting out with a brand new open orchestra or who are looking for a new piece of music to experiment with.
These resources have been designed as a rough guide - a starting point from which you should devise your own activities in response to the musical identities and needs of your own participants.
Download the documents:
About the piece (pdf)
Musical Building Blocks (pdf)
Scheme of Work (pdf)
Jonathan Westrup from Open Up Music demonstrates the clarion patterns used in Charlotte Harding's piece.
‘The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide’, was commissioned by the BBC and composed by Charlotte Harding for the National Open Youth Orchestra, also called NOYO. It is a bold reimagining of Benjamin Britten’s popular piece, first written in 1945. NOYO performed this piece at a BBC Prom in August 2026. This is a special abridged version created for BBC Ten Pieces. Benjamin Britten wrote ‘The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra’ to introduce younger audiences to the instruments, sections and sounds of the orchestra. You can find this piece by going into BBC Ten Pieces and then into ‘The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide’ folder, and you’ll find all of the Clarion patterns there. The opening section is called ‘Particles’ and it begins with a dramatic drum roll. The other instruments join in. And at this point the Clarion is playing a D drone. This second section is called ‘Individuals’. Let’s see what that sounds like.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS D DRONE ♪ ]
And now let’s hear it with the piece.
[ ♪ INDIVIDUALS ♪ ]
At the end of section two there is a crescendo which means getting louder, and you enter section three which is called ‘Sections’. At this point, the Clarion is playing a pair of two note chords. Let’s see what they look like.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS TWO CHORDS WITH DRONE ♪ ]
There are also two other patterns where we’ve divided up the chords and the drone behind them. So you can play the chords on their own,
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS TWO CHORDS ♪ ]
and you can also play the drone on its own.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS DRONE ♪ ]
Let’s hear what they sound like with the piece.
[ ♪ SECTIONS ♪ ]
We then get to section four which is called ‘Palettes’. The Clarion then plays two three note chords over a drone. Let’s have a look and see what they look like.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS TWO CHORDS AND A DRONE ♪ ]
And again you can divide up those parts between two players. You can play just the chords.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS TWO CHORDS ♪ ]
Now let’s hear just the drone.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS DRONE ♪ ]
Now let’s hear it with the piece.
[ ♪ PALETTES ♪ ]
There’s also a Clarion solo in the ‘Palettes’ section. Let’s see what that sounds like.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS ASCENDING NOTES ♪ ]
You can also try improvising.
[ ♪ CLARION IMPROVISES ♪ ]
Now let’s try it with the piece.
[ ♪ CLARION SOLOS OVER PALETTES ♪ ]
So we come to our final section, which is called ‘Tutti’, which means everyone playing together. There’s an exciting rhythm in this final section that the Clarion joins in with. Let’s have a look. Here’s the rhythm, and it’s all using A notes. And you have to try and match the phrase “This Is Our Orchestra”. Let me show you.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS RHYTHMIC PATTERN ♪ ]
This is our orchestra. This is our orchestra. You can also try this using just two notes.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS RHYTHMIC PATTERN ♪ ]
Or if you like, just use one.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS RHYTHMIC PATTERN ♪ ]
Let’s hear what it sounds like with the piece.
[ ♪ TUTTI ♪ ]
The finale to this section is Purcell’s main theme, and you might actually recognise this famous melody. Let’s see what it looks like.
[ ♪ PURCELL’S THEME ♪ ]
Now let’s hear that with the rest of the orchestra.
[ ♪ CLARION PLAYS PURCELL’s THEME OVER TUTTI ♪ ]
Read more about this piece, and find more resources on the BBC Ten Pieces website. Have fun playing ‘The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide’!
Arrangements (Abridged Version)
These arrangements are for the ABRIDGED version that Charlotte Harding has prepared especially for BBC Ten Pieces.
Beginner / Pre Grade 1
Preview the score (pdf)
Download the parts and score (zip)
Grade 1 - 4
Preview the score( pdf)
Download the parts and score (zip)
Grade 5+
Preview the score (pdf)
Download the parts and score (zip)
