TOP young musicians from schools and colleges in York and North Yorkshire will be playing at a special venue later this month.

After a week of tuition, under conductor Simon Wright, the North Yorkshire Schools' Symphony Orchestra will play at Ripon Cathedral at 7pm on Thursday, July 17.

The 81 orchestra members are taken from schools and colleges across York, and North and East Yorkshire and the surrounding area. The concert is the culmination of a residential course, led by their conductor, which they have attended in the days before the concert.

Among the orchestra members are students from All Saints' School, York; Easingwold School; Malton School; Tadcaster Grammar School; Lady Lumley's School at Pickering; Allertonshire School, Northallerton; Northallerton College; Ashville College, Harrogate; Pocklington School; Raincliffe School, Scarborough; Ripon Grammar School; St Aidan's CE High School, Harrogate; St Augustine's, Scarborough; Scarborough Sixth Form College; Harrogate Ladies College; King James's School, Knaresborough, and Thirsk School.

Simon has conducted many orchestras, including The Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, English Northern Philharmonia, Manchester Camerata, Northern Sinfonia and the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

His most recent European engagements have included recordings and concerts with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester, Bremen, and the Philharmonie und Kammerphilharmonie des Mitteldeutschen Rundfunks, Leipzig.

In May he conducted the English Chamber Orchestra at the Classical Brit Awards held in the Royal Albert Hall and broadcast on national television.

The programme will consist of : Verdi - Nabucco; Mozart - Flute Concerto in G; Walton - Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (Soloist Catherine Harrison); Wagner - Procession to the Cathedral; Smetana - Vltava from Ma Vlast; Falla - Three Cornered Hat.

Tickets are available on the door, £5 for adults and £3 for concessions.

Phone 01609 532599 for further details or to reserve tickets.

Updated: 09:01 Tuesday, July 08, 2003