Madam, - Having been closely involved in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland since its inception in 1970, I can empathise with your correspondents' disappointment at the decision of the board of the NYOI to amalgamate its two existing orchestras.
To decry this decision is quite rightly the response of the many people whose experience of the orchestra has been entirely positive and who value its place in Ireland's cultural landscape.
However, as chairperson of the Forum for Music in Ireland, I am deeply concerned that this response may serve to mask the underlying issues that are the root cause of the problems cited by the board - for example, that of recruiting "sufficient players of the requisite standard to support two orchestras".
Is this, perhaps, because of the insufficient State support for music at local and regional level? It is obvious that equitable provision of the full range of instrumental teaching at local level creates the pool of players required to feed into a national orchestra of excellence.
While those holding opposing views in the case of the plight of the National Chamber Choir and now the National Youth Orchestra generate column inches, should we not also be seeing coverage of the fate of the Music Network Feasability Study for the Provision of Local Music Services? Should we not be reading about the progress of the Arts and Education Committee? And most importantly, should we not be finding out what politicians who are currently seeking our votes will do for the cause of music and music education in Ireland, if elected?
Until a coherent national strategy for music education in Ireland has been successfully developed, we will continue to have sporadic outbursts of interest in particular issues, without any basic change in the bigger picture.
With an election looming the situation in the National Youth Orchestra should be one of a range of issues pertinent to music which people should be raising with politicians. For further information, see the forum's website on www.forumformusic.ie.
- Yours, etc,
Dr EVELYN GRANT, Chairperson, Forum for Music in Ireland, Fishamble Street, Dublin 8.
Madam, - The National Chamber Choir in crisis, the National Youth Orchestra downsizing, resignations to beat the band.
I think I'll stay where I am.
- Yours, etc,
RÓISÍN BLUNNIE, Kodály Institute of Music, Kecskemét, Hungary.