Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra showcases the UK’s best young musicians

Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, featuring more than 200 of the UK’s most talented young musicians, take to the Bridgewater Hall stage for a one-off show on Fri 8 Jul.

The special performance marks the end of the group’s current musical education at Chetham’s School of Music before heading off to a collection of the UK’s leading conservatoires and universities, and inevitably, the world’s best orchestras.

Conducted by Ben Palmer, the evening’s performance will feature Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring – a piece of music so ground-breaking that it caused a riot at its premiere in 1913. The programme will also feature Urban Fox, a companion piece for Stravinsky’s classic, composed by Palmer himself. Palmer wrote the piece specifically for the students of Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra.

The programme also includes Vaughan-Williams’ Toward The Unknown Region, marking the 150th anniversary of the British composer’s birth.

Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major completes the evening’s programme – a rousing, virtuosic piece, with sixth form student Jordan Brooks performing the violin solo. Hailing from South Africa, Brooks moved to the UK specially to study at Chetham’s and has since become one of the UK’s most talented young string musicians.