Orchestra United

An ambitious four-part series exploring the powerful effect of classical music, Orchestra United, charts the creation of the Halle Harmony Youth Orchestra which brings together a cross section of young people from Manchester's vast cultural and ethnic community.

Episode one follows young and charismatic conductor, James Lowe, as he holds auditions to find 75 aspiring musicians aged 11 - 18 to form a new youth orchestra under the auspices of the world famous Halle Orchestra.  A rising star, Lowe is passionate about classical music and believes that we are losing a generation of gifted musicians and that classical music is the poorer for it.  He himself went to a comprehensive school in a mining-town near Nottingham and was saved by music at the age of 13 when he took up the viola and joined a youth orchestra - he fears he would not have got that chance today.  "I want to show people that musical talent is something that is out there and that needs to be nurtured and encouraged.  It's not an ornament for rich people, it's something that is for everyone and it's about all of us," he says.

From a variety of backgrounds, the youth orchestra will be expected to perform a concert of classical music in front of a paying audience at Manchester's 2000 plus capacity Bridgewater Hall.  With hugely varying levels of experience but a similar drive and passion, they will learn to relate to each other and work together in a way that would be impossible to conceive of in their everyday lives.  Through their eyes we see the impact that the music has on them, their friends, families and communities.

The orchestra includes 16-year-old Faz, a beat-boxer and violinist who felt his interest in classical music made him the odd one out, and is chosen to lead the second violin section. Daniel, also 16, who comes from one of the roughest parts of Manchester and started drinking and smoking before he was 10, becomes part of the brass section thanks to his secret love for the cornet.  North Korean refugee Yu Min, 18, now living in Bolton, enchants the judges with her accordion playing but as this is not an orchestral instrument, can they find a place for her?  Luke, 10 - the youngest member - plays the cello, which practically dwarfs him.  Also joining the orchestra are 14-year-old Zoya, whose drum playing prompts criticism from some members of the local Pakistani community, but her father allows her to join anyway; sisters Tess, 14, and Alex, 12, who both play the harp; and finally Emma, 14, an exceptional violin player, who has been appointed leader of the orchestra - a very challenging task for such a young girl.

The next episode follows them more closely at home with their families and out with their friends.  As the weeks pass by romances develop, friendships blossom, some musicians abandon the project and some join, whilst some members of the orchestra (especially the troublesome brass section) start to struggle.  A performance of Finlandia by Sibelius in front of 250 family and friends turns out to be a successful rehearsal, but for the final performance the orchestra has to raise the bar.