THE Yorkshire Young Sinfonia will perform its inaugural concert at York Barbican on August 22 in a 7pm showcase of some of the region's best young classical musicians under the baton of Tom Hammond, associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

The Sinfonia will be joined by the Steinway Artist Simon Callaghan as the piano soloist and will perform the premiere of the Yorkshire Young Sinfonia competition prize-winning entry in partnership with the University of Leeds.

The Sinfonia will provide Yorkshire musicians aged 13 to 18 with a residential orchestra course from August 17 to 22, helping them to develop both musically and socially under the tutelage of tutors from around Europe who not only have played at the highest standard, but are innovators in musical education too.

Among them will be international soloist Julian Bliss, professor of flute at the Royal Northern College of Music, Wissam Boustany, and the president of the European String Teachers Association, David Le Page. Students also will receive workshops from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, as well the Sinfonia’s main partner, the University of Leeds.

The first Yorkshire Young Sinfonia course and concert is being launched after a year's planning and will be the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Birth Of An Orchestra, made by Whistledown Productions.

The programme Death Of An Orchestra was broadcast several times over the Christmas and New Year period, documenting the demise of the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra in 1955. This story was re-told through the memories of the original orchestra members, as well as key supporters such as Leeds playwright Alan Bennett.

Now, the Yorkshire Young Sinfonia (YYS) will feature in the follow-up documentary, Birth Of An Orchestra, in a celebration of Yorkshire’s musical heritage, as well as raising its profile on a national scale.

The documentary will include interviews with the students, whileWhistledown Productions are also re-interviewing original Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra members and its key supporters, including Alan Bennett, for inclusion in the feature.

Meanwhile, one of the YYS's aims is to raise the profile of Yorkshire composers and music inspired by Yorkshire, not least works by contemporary composers. To do so, the YYS is working in partnership with the University of Leeds to create the aforementioned composition competition to help stimulate the creation of new music in God's Own Country.

Tickets for the August 22 concert cost £17, students and under-18s £7, on 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk