This year's WYSO Summer Concert featured an exciting and ambitious programme and followed on, as usual, from a week's non-residential course for the students in the orchestra.

Opening the evening was Tchaikovsky's rousing Marche Slave. Written for a benefit concert for soldiers wounded in the war between Turkey and Serbia, the piece foreshadows the later 1812 overture, using folk and military music to create a stirring patriotic march. The orchestra, directed by Lee Benstead and ably led by Stephen Flatman, set about this piece with youthful gusto and an appreciative audience obviously enjoyed the energetic performance.

The highlight of the evening for most though was the piece that followed on, a stunning performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto by the Swedish Pianist, Martin Sturfält. A regular performer since the age of 11, Martin Sturfält performed with technical and musical brilliance and managed to withdraw a great range of musical colour from the piano and orchestra alike. Having rehearsed with the orchestra over two days, the soloist had established a good rapport and musical affinity with the orchestra who responded very sympathetically throughout the performance. Although this was the second time that the soloist had performed with the orchestra (the first being a performace of Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto in 2006), the Grieg with its powerful romantic themes, will live long in the memories of those who were playing and listening.

Following the interval, the orchestra performed a new composition, written by Andrew J Smith in collaboration with pupils from various schools in Wakefield. 'Overture: Jack and the Beanstalk' is an orchestrated version of the piece of music written by the pupils taking part in a project sponsored by The Feiweles Trust. The piece was narrated by the composer and follows the story very closely, from Jack's theme as he goes to sell his cow to the final loud bars as the axe fells the beanstalk and giant!

To finish the concert, the orchestra performed Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition.' This is a challenging suite of music for a youth orchestra which makes many demands of the orchestra and of individual soloists within each section. Starting with the solo trumpet of Mathew Parkinson in the Promenade, the performers rose to the challenge and produced an enthusiastic performance, finishing with the majestic 'Great Gate of Kiev.'

This concert will unfortunately be the last to be directed by Lee Benstead as he moves on to a new post in September.