A special concert is being held in Watford to celebrate 50 years of the youth orchestras in the county.

The Youth Orchestras Gold concert at Watford Colosseum will feature both the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Hertfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, led by conductors Peter Stark and Ben Gernon, respectively.

The event on Friday, August 21, will start at 7pm with a programme that includes performances of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

In the last 50 years performances by Hertfordshire Youth Orchestras have been recorded and broadcast by the BBC, and orchestras have undertaken tours across Europe. They have also been involved in concerts at leading venues in the UK, including the Barbican and Cambridge Corn Exchange.

David Williams, Hertfordshire County Council cabinet member for Education, said: “I’d like to congratulate Hertfordshire County Council’s Music Service on reaching this milestone and thank those who have worked tirelessly to help assemble amazing orchestras and nurture some wonderful young musicians.

"As a county, we pride ourselves on giving our young people a good start in life and the opportunity to thrive.

"This concert is a great opportunity to celebrate the work of our music service to inspire and produce orchestral playing of the finest calibre.”

For more information about Hertfordshire Music Service please visit http://www.hertsmusicservice.org.uk/.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased via https://watfordcolosseum.co.uk/ or through the box office on 01923 571102.