THE prestigious Herefordshire Youth Orchestra performed to a rapt audience at St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye recently. The youth orchestra is the flagship ensemble of Herefordshire Music Service and its members have worked their way up through the ranks of the starter, junior and intermediate ensembles to earn their place. All those ensembles had their turn to shine recently.

Over 200 youngsters from age 11 to 19 played in two evening concerts at The Shirehall to large audiences of family and friends and the Mayor and Mayoress of Hereford.

The concert showed the talent of the young wind and percussion players, featuring the Youth Brass Band and three concert bands playing a mixture of contemporary and classical music. The Youth Concert Band gave a rousing finale, filling the hall with the glorious sound of Verdi’s Dies Irae.

Then, HMS was back at The Shirehall to give the string players and the starter ensembles a chance to show what they could do. Some of the youngsters joined the starter groups when they could only play five notes and it was amazing to hear what they had achieved in their Saturday morning rehearsals. The Ukulele Ensemble was beautifully accompanied by five singers from the Intermediate String Ensemble. The Intermediate Strings finished a fabulous evening’s entertainment – a highlight was their accompaniment to Hope Pugh singing Fauré’s Pie Jesu. Hope, a 16-year-old student at Hereford Cathedral School, also plays piano and flute, and was on stage the previous night with the Youth Concert Band. She plans to make a career in music and her performance showed she certainly has the talent.

All HMS ensembles now take a well-earned break, resuming in September to begin rehearsing for the autumn series of concerts. For more information about concerts or joining an ensemble, please contact 01432 853219, info@encore-enterprises.com, www.encore-enterprises.com.