Welcome to Day Three of our ‘12 Days of Milap’ – today we shine a light on the incredible work of SAMYO.

Founded in 2002 with support from the national charity Youth Music, SAMYO – Milap’s National Youth Orchestra for Indian music – was created to develop and nurture the immense talent in Indian Classical music across the UK.

While young musicians learning Western instruments often have access to well-established pathways, Indian classical musicians frequently lack similar opportunities for development and a sense of belonging in their schools and communities. To address this gap, we created SAMYO – and the rest is history! 

Through SAMYO, we invite musicians and vocalists to step beyond tradition to explore and push the boundaries of their instruments, whilst remaining true to their Indian classical training. 

The result? A sound unlike anything you’ll hear elsewhere. 

Indian classical music is improvised and deeply expressive – shaped by emotion, moods, literature and devotion. SAMYO preserves and honours these traditions while expanding them, creating fresh, original and innovative compositions, performed by an orchestra and choir of up to 35 people. 

SAMYO has redefined the presentation of Indian Classical Music, expanding its possibilities by placing classical instruments in a bold new context and creating a pioneering new orchestra. The first ensemble of its kind, SAMYO exists to champion an underrepresented artform and community, providing mainstream platforms for performance, collaboration and national recognition of exceptional British talent. 

Today, in 2025, SAMYO is proud to be one of only fifteen organisations in England to be awarded National Youth Music Organisation status by Arts Council England – and we continue to welcome emerging young musicians from across the UK into our growing family.