Imagine walking through the streets of Sydney or taking in the picturesque harbour views at Circular Quay, all to the sound of a live orchestra in the background.
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Come October 10, the Sydney Youth Orchestras (SYO) is presenting The Big Busk, Australia's largest orchestral youth music event that's now in its second year.
And among the 600 young musicians involved - all aged between 6 and 24 years from across NSW - will be Parkes' Gordon Richter on the clarinet.
Gordon completed his HSC at Parkes High School last year, where he was also school captain. He performed in the symphony orchestra at the 2018 Schools Spectacular and has been involved in the SYO Wind Ensemble and the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra Mannheim Symphonists.
The Big Busk will take to Sydney's hotspots, such as Martin Place, Pitt Street Mall, Queen Victoria Building, Circular Quay, Grosvenor Place and Hyde Park Barracks, to fill the city with 10 hours of beautiful live music.
The city will be filled with the sounds of well-known classics alongside modern day hits that both adults and children will love.
A public spectacular such as The Big Busk will also see its proceeds raised going towards what has been described as "endangered instruments".
According to SYO, one of the biggest costs associated with learning a musical instrument is often the price of the instrument itself. And the rarer and more expensive an instrument, the less likely it is to be learnt.
However, there would be no orchestra without a viola, double bass or bassoon. SYO said these instruments are now classified as endangered as fewer children are learning to play them and even less reach an elite level in order to perform in an orchestra later in life.
Receiving less than 7 per cent in government funding, SYO is aiming to raise $50,000 in order to purchase "endangered" instruments, sheet music for its music library and support its business infrastructure.
The long- term dream for SYO is to have its own home since they currently do not have a base.
Donations will be collected on the day during live performances and for those who can't make it into the city, performances can be streamed on Facebook and viewers can donate online at syo.com.au or via SMS (by texting SYO to 0488 824 582).
SYO is a community that embraces talented individuals and offers them a space in which they can develop their talent, socialise, make lifelong friends and contribute to a broader cultural conversation about why the arts, and in particular the orchestra, is still a relevant part of modern society.
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