ORGANISERS are pressing ahead with a York concert to celebrate the life and music of the late composer John Barry – as BBC Radio prepares to broadcast a memorial performance staged at the Royal Albert Hall.

The tribute concert at York Barbican will be staged at 7pm on Sunday, October 30. Artists already lined up to perform include York Guildhall Orchestra, York Railway Institute Band, the Steve Cassidy Band and singer Jo Pears.

Organisers hope special guests will also be on stage and in the audience.

Tickets priced £22.50 will go on sale at the York Barbican Box Office on Friday, and proceeds will go to the Lord Mayor of York’s charities, York Against Cancer and York and District Mind.

Almost 6,000 people gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for the memorial concert last week, including Peter Stanhope, a friend of the Oscar-winning musician, who successfully nominated him to receive the Freedom of the York in 2002.

“What a wonderful evening it was - and what a magnificent turn out to pay tribute to the great man of movie music,” Peter said.

“The setting of the Royal Albert Hall was magnificent and entirely suitable to the occasion, Barry having performed two previous concerts of his music there in the later 90’s.

“A large screen had been suspended above the orchestra stage and in front of the great organ, on which images of many of the famous films for which Barry had created such memorable music would be projected. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra did such amazing justice to his themes, his orchestrations and instrumentation.

“From the very start of the proceedings, which were compered by fellow Yorkshireman Sir Michael Parkinson, the thread of Yorkshire shone through the Barry story.

“All the favourites of John Barry fans were on the playlist, many accompanied by scenes from the movies played on the big screen above the orchestra.”

Peter said a family album of slides was shown on the screen, starting with Barry growing up at the family home in Hull Road and then later in Fulford.

He said: “It was a truly amazing night – and one that we will certainly never forget.”

He added that a recording of the concert would be broadcast on Radio 2 at 8pm on Friday.