THE HISTORY OF YMC
YMC was founded in 1967 by the late Emanuel and Kay Hurwitz, to provide a wide range of musical education for children, with the emphasis on the teaching of performance skills in string instruments. From modest numbers, it has expanded and thrived, currently providing tuition on Saturday mornings in term time to approximately 120 students aged between 2½ and 18. There is a broad range of classes, which include junior musicianship, musical theory, woodwind and chamber ensembles, where students are exposed to a wide range of repertoire. There are also a range of orchestras starting with one for children who have only had one year of tuition to a chamber orchestra for older teenagers. The various groups also have the opportunity to perform regularly, at a concert at the end of each term, and at other events including the North London Festival, and for a number of years the Chamber Orchestra performed at St. Martin in the Fields. YMC also provides individual tuition to students
The standard achieved by our students is truly outstanding, and many have over the years gone on to become professionals themselves, and to take part in national competitions.
YMC also has a talented and committed teaching staff, many of whom have been with us for many years. Our Artistic Director is Marina Solarek, a gifted professional violinist and teacher, who was associated with YMC for many years as Administrator before assuming her current role. Our current Administrator, Henry Hargreaves, is also a professional cellist and musician with a performing career. Natasha Dedic is our Finance Assistant. Each are an essential part of the day to day running of YMC. Until his death this year, we were fortunate to have as our patron is the renowned international violinist Gyorgy Pauk, who took an active interest in our activities, including giving masterclasses and adjudicating at competitions.
We have established a Bursary Fund which raises money for assisted places, a purpose which is one of our key objectives, to enable us to support students who might otherwise be denied the opportunities which YMC offers.
ABOUT OUR TRUSTEES
The trustee body bears overall responsibility for the governance of YMC, which is a registered charity as well as a limited company. It provides oversight to ensure YMC is compliant with its duties and obligations, and liaises with the executives who are responsible for day to day management. Its constitution is governed by a Trust Deed and the Memorandum and Articles of Association of YMC Ltd.
Our membership is diverse, and we aim to provide support in various areas of expertise. Responsibilities are divided amongst the Trustee body, to ensure that proper governance standards are met. Above all, what we share is a love of music and a commitment to education and opportunity for YMC’s students.
OUR TRUSTEES
Stephen Warner (Chair)
Stephen was a Barrister and Circuit Judge (sitting at St Albans Crown Court) and is currently a Senior Lecturer at Hertfordshire University Law School. He also teaches students at Lincoln’s Inn where he is a Bencher. Outside the law, his main interest has always been music. He is a (very) amateur violinist playing with a variety of amateur orchestras and ensembles. He has been a trustee since 2008, and Chair since 2015. He describes his involvement in the education of young musicians through YMC as being ‘completely rewarding’.
Ian Byrne-Brito (Treasurer)
Ian is a versatile professional musician, educator, and entrepreneur with a passion for the viola and a love of sailing. He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and London’s Royal Academy of Music and enjoys a dynamic career as a chamber musician and General Manager of Stringers, London’s renowned string instrument shop. As an orchestral violist, he has toured extensively across Europe, China, and Japan, performing in iconic venues such as Suntory Hall (Tokyo), the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and London’s Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Centre. Serving as a trustee of the Youth Music Centre enables him to nurture young talent, support innovative educational initiatives to broaden access to string playing. At Stringers, he advises the wider string playing community in London and beyond, with a particular focus on young musicians and their instrumental needs.
Julia Edwards (Trustee)
After graduating from university, Julia trained as a primary school teacher and spent the next 30 years working in a variety of inner-city primary schools. She was for 18 years the headteacher of a Junior school in the London Borough of Haringey, working with children aged 7 to 11. Following the reorganisation of the school and its associated Infant School, she retired in 2006, and since then have worked in a voluntary capacity in a local charity shop, as well as looking after her 4 grandchildren. Her own children attended YMC for many years, and enjoyed the many opportunities it offered, such as orchestras and chamber music. She has been a trustee of YMC since retirement, serving as Chair of Trustees for several years and has therefore experienced at first hand the high quality, hard work and loyalty of the staff, the very valuable work they do, and the opportunities they offer for musical development to the children of North London. She deals with compliance and liaison with the Charities’ Commission and Companies House.
Mike Hurwitz (Trustee)
Mike started playing the cello at the age of 8 and enjoyed a successful professional career with the Amphion String Quartet, as a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, freelancer, and as Professor of cello at Trinity College of Music from 1989 until his retirement in 2015. He has been very involved in the community and education work taking part in projects with primary schools, Special Schools and dementia sufferers. Post 2015 he became the Archivist of the Philharmonia Orchestra where he has continued to catalogue and enlarge their collection. Mike is the son of YMC’s founders and one of YMC’s original students
Amanda Sharpe (Trustee)
Amanda is a Barrister, practising at the Chancery Bar for over 40 years. From 2007 onwards she combined this with part-time judicial roles, and she continues to sit as a Recorder and Deputy High Court judge in the Business and Property Courts. Amanda played the violin and French horn in her youth and has sung all her life, mainly in choirs and madrigal groups. She deals with YMC’s legal matters, including GDPR compliance.
Amanda Craig (Trustee)
Amanda qualified in medicine in 1980 and has been in practice as a GP in North West London for many years. She also has extensive experience in Health Service management. She was for many years a Governor (leading on Safeguarding) and then Chair of Governors at a major public school. She is Safeguarding Lead for YMC.
Edward Longstaff (Trustee)
Edward is a composer, professional cellist and teacher. He was for many years a member of the music staff of the Purcell School, teaching academic music, conducting choirs and orchestras, and coaching chamber groups. He has now retired from teaching and is pursuing a freelance career as a composer and conductor.