To Celebrate the Past and Plan for the Future

Inspire to Aspire – Creating Opportunities for Engaged Diversity

A Celebration Event to mark

70th anniversary of the establishment of The Commonwealth
60th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
50th anniversary of the Open University

Presented by
Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir (CYO)
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)

Remarks Given by
Sir Charles Bowman
President, CYO
Lord Mayor of the City of London 2017-2018

The Rt Hon the Lord Howell of Guildford,
Honorary Vice-President, CYO
Chairman, Council of Commonwealth Societies
President, Royal Commonwealth Society

Philip Parham, CMG
Honorary Vice-President, CYO
Commonwealth Envoy for the United Kingdom

Professor David Rowland
Chairman, CYO
Professor of Music and Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies, Open University
Director of Music, Christ’s College, Cambridge University

Professor Madeleine Arnot
Emeritus Professor of Sociology of Education, Cambridge University
Commissioner for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)

One Hundred Members of the Commonwealth Children’s Choir

Commonwealth Orchestra and Youth Orchestra with Commonwealth Scholars’ Choir

Captain Craig Bywater, Director of Music Irish Guards Band, conducts the song
“Believe” composed by Lieutenant Colonel Simon Haw MBE,
To mark and celebrate the 70th Anniversary of The Commonwealth on 28 April 2019.

Commonwealth Scholars’ Choir and Commonwealth Orchestra and Youth Orchestra

The Rt Hon the Lord Howell of Guildford
Honorary Vice-President, CYO
Chairman, Council of Commonwealth Societies
President, Royal Commonwealth Society

Professor Madeleine Arnot
Emeritus Professor of Sociology of Education, Cambridge University
Commissioner for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)

Professor David Rowland,
Chairman, CYO
Professor of Music and Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies, Open University
Director of Music, Christ’s College, Cambridge University

Philip Parham, CMG,
Honorary Vice-President, CYO
Commonwealth Envoy for the United Kingdom

Concert Master - Eric Hui-Ti Wang

Sir Charles Bowman
President, CYO
Lord Mayor of the City of London 2017-2018

Captain Craig Bywater conducting Grand Finale – Commonwealth Anthem

Household Division Musicians – Band of the Irish Guards
Supporting Commonwealth Children’s Choir, Commonwealth Scholars’ Choir with
Commonwealth Orchestra and Youth Orchestra
70th Anniversary arrangement of the
Commonwealth Anthem

A Message from Director-General Sally Shebe
To Celebrate the Past and Plan for the Future

On 28 April 1949, the Modern Commonwealth was born out of the international collaboration that had been generated throughout the First and Second World Wars. In an act of continuum, the political leaders in the second half of the 1940s were determined not to lose this spirit of international brotherhood and mutual support. With King George VI as its Head, the Commonwealth of Nations was first established as a voluntary group of eight independent countries; Australia, Canada, Ceylon, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Today the Commonwealth comprises 53 nations across all six inhabited regions of the globe: Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific. Each of the 53 independent nations is an equal stakeholder and with national populations ranging from 9,600 to 1.3 billion, and with multifarious races and faiths, the Commonwealth encapsulates the concept of “Embracing Diversity”.

The 21st Century Commonwealth, now in its 70th year, is building on its dynamic legacy and heritage - with international engagement and diversity at its core, and the opportunity to maximise individual, national and international potential, it offers the possibility to be a model of mutual human respect, support and understanding.

CYO’S COMMONWEALTH MUSIC EDUCATION FUND -“Engage - Educate - Empower”

As part of the legacy of Her Majesty The Queen, Head of The Commonwealth, to mark and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth, the CYO has created its Commonwealth Music Education Fund to support its work across The Commonwealth through the coming decades.

With no central funding the CYO has to seek out all its financial support to enable its work and the CYO welcomes donations to make possible its ground-breaking initiatives and programmes:

CYO’s Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir
– Training orchestra and choir – workshops, performance, recording

CYO’s Commonwealth Orchestra
– Creating employment for young Commonwealth musicians

CYO’s Commonwealth Scholars’ Choir
– Performance opportunities for tertiary students on Commonwealth Scholarships

CYO’s Commonwealth Children’s Choir
– Performance opportunities for primary and secondary schools

CYO’s Commonwealth Music Partnership
– Performance opportunities for all Commonwealth musicians + choirs

CYO’s Commonwealth Music Distance Learning
– Theoretical and practical tuition on-line across the Commonwealth

CYO’s Commonwealth Music Council
- Music composition, curation and creation

CYO’s Commonwealth Music Competitions
- Composers, bands and choirs