Leeds Town Hall February 2010
(reproduced by kind permission of Yorkshire Evening Post)
A phenomenal evening
WIZARDRY: The City of Leeds Youth Orchestra in action
Published Date: 04 March 2010
What an exciting and memorable evening we enjoyed at Leeds Town Hall on Saturday!
A full house was in raptures to music ranging from Walton to Bernstein; from a viola concerto played by a young virtuoso Alex Mitchell, who is yet to take his A-levels, to the wizardry of the percussion, brass, wind and strings of West Side Story played with such verve and gusto that the venerable columns of the Victoria Hall almost danced to the music.
And who was responsible for this feast? It was our own City of Leeds Youth Orchestra.
As the encore came to the end I wondered how many of our citizens know of the existence of the City of Leeds Youth Orchestra despite it giving an opportunity for the under 19-year-olds to express their musical talents for over 40 years. Our Lord Mayor, Coun Judith Elliott, was so enthused that she descended, dare I say it, like Mary Poppins from the gallery to give a spontaneous 'thank you' from the stage.
One can only imagine the hours of practice on top of school work that these talented youngsters have had put in and then the hours of rehearsals; the dedication of their teachers and the supervisory support of their parents.
Each year brings a new batch of talent and new opportunities. Yet none of this would have been possible without the long-term involvement and commitment of the conductor Douglas Scarfe, and Artforms and Education Leeds, Fiona Pacey and Paul Kaiserman and City of Leeds Youth Music.
For those interested further information from www.clyo.org.uk.
A phenomenal evening for which many thanks and congratulations.