An orchestra featuring some of the north-east’s most celebrated young musicians is preparing to tour Europe for its 10th anniversary.
The Grampian Youth Orchestra, which features 73 musical prodigies from all over Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, will visit Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands next month to strike the right note with continental audiences and celebrate a decade of performances.
Originally formed as part of the annual Aberdeen International Youth Festival, the ensemble has become one of the key ingredients of the north-east’s musical culture over the last decade.
Scott Matheson, the manager of the orchestra, said his group were now eagerly rehearsing for their trip around Europe after a special show in the Granite City.
Mr Matheson added: “We usually rehearse for about four intense days a year and put on the one concert, but for this special 10th year anniversary, we all really wanted to do something bigger and better.
“We traditionally play in the opening ceremony at the International Youth Festival to give it a bit of a local connection, but, over the years, it became a solid orchestra in its own right.
“The plan is to play in cathedrals in Maastricht, Dusseldorf and Ghent for a week after playing at St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen on Sunday July 3, and everyone is getting really excited to begin.
“This year, we’ve got a huge range of musicians, with our youngest player only 13 years old and our oldest 22.
“It’s going to be a great experience for everyone involved. This project has been more than 18 months in the making, so it’s great to see it finally coming together, and I can’t wait for us to start performing.”
Tickets can be purchased for the anniversary performance at St Machar’s Cathedral at 7.30pm on Sunday July 3 by emailing grampianyouthorchestra@hotmail.com