Leo Nott, Cass Alabaster, Leo Manh Carstensen, Bethan Cole and Jonah Lace-Braun. 2025

Bethan Cole, Cardiff

Bethan has been a member of the Cardiff NOYO Ensemble since it began in 2023 and a member of the National Ensemble for the last 2 years. Bethan plays flute, piccolo, and harp. Bethan was nominated for welcoming new musicians at the start of the year, participating in warm-ups by leading them and supporting other woodwind musicians by sharing techniques.

Leo Nott, Birmingham

Leo plays the oboe and has been a member of the NOYO Birmingham ensemble since 2022. A fellow musician nominated him saying, “Leo was really good at talking to everybody, getting people’s interest and building a group bond.”

Cass Alabaster, Bournemouth

Cass has been a member of the Bournemouth NOYO Ensemble since 2023 as well as a National Ensemble performer for the last 2 years. He is moving next year to be a member of the Birmingham Ensemble as he moves to university. Cass plays the violin and viola. Cass was nominated because he did such an amazing job when he was interviewed on the radio, helped make a video for concerts, and was a fantastic ambassador and mentor for NOYO over the past year.

Leo Manh Carstensen, Bristol

Leo plays the Clarion and has been a member of the Bristol NOYO Ensemble since 2019, making him one of our longest-serving NOYO Musicians. Leo is well-organised, social and is committed to NOYO through and through. He helped the new Clarion player in Bristol this year and has helped Music Leaders in rehearsals the whole year.

Jonah Lace-Braun, London

Jonah plays the trombone in the London NOYO Ensemble, where he has been a member since 2022. Jonah is a member of the Social Media Team and has been a consistent ambassador for NOYO. Jonah was nominated by a fellow musician who said, “Jonah made a day in the life of London NOYO Ensemble musician video to promote applications for Regional NOYO Ensemble.”