YMS alumnus launches ground-breaking new orchestra in the heart of Yorkshire

Yehudi Menuhin school alumnus, celebrated musician and conductor William Dutton, is launching the Cuore Chamber Orchestra, a new professional chamber orchestra for Yorkshire at the Royal Hall, Harrogate on Thursday 8th May 2025. 

The orchestra is made up of the finest young musicians in the UK, including a number of former YMS pupils.  These musicians have since gone on to swell the ranks of leading orchestras including Royal Northern Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, Opera North, The Royal Philharmonic and the Philharmonia. 

With a focus on promoting the best of British music, the inaugural concert will have an all-English first half with works by Gustav Holst, Lennox Berkeley and Edward Elgar, whose Introduction and Allegro will be performed alongside the nationally renowned Elmore Quartet. Cuore hopes also to be able to showcase music by often neglected female composers, particularly from the British Isles including Ethyl Smyth, Elisabetta Brusa and Grace Williams.

Beyond its concert schedule Cuore hopes to enrich the musical education of children in schools throughout Yorkshire, through a series of workshops and special concerts designed for young people. Speaking about the orchestra’s vision, Dutton explained the choice of the name ‘Cuore’, which means “core,” “heart,” and “soul” in Italian. “Music,” Dutton said, “is not about what we have but who we are.  Cuore represents music being part of the soul and fabric of our culture, and finally, we believe that if we play music of the highest quality that speaks directly to people’s hearts, they will always want to come back for more!”

Cuore’s foundation marks a significant milestone in Dutton’s already distinguished career which has encompassed a win at the Strings Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year and being a semi-finalist of the 2023 Kodaly International Conducting Competition.

Congratulations to William and the Cuore Orchestra, we look forward to hearing more about their success.