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Liverpool Philharmonic Celebrates 75 Years of its Youth Orchestra with Anniversary Concert and New Commission

Wednesday 25 February 2026

This Sunday, talented local young musicians take to the stage to celebrate 75 years of the “pioneer of youth orchestras” (Independent). This special concert will feature the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece by Carmel Smickersgill and feature bassoonist and BBC Radio 3 presenter Linton Stephens. Linton is a previous member of Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and a passionate advocate for classical music, building on strong foundations laid during his formative years in Liverpool.

Founded in 1951, the Merseyside Youth Orchestra (as it was known then) was one of the first UK youth orchestra of its kind and been at the heart of the organisation’s commitment to developing the next generation of orchestral talent. Notable alumni include Sir Simon Rattle, Linton Stephens and many members of the main Orchestra and management team including Hannah Mackenzie, Rick Cowen, Rachel Jones, Ruth Davies, Chris Morely and Sandra Parr. Over the past 75 years, it has provided exceptional training, performance opportunities and mentorship, creating a vital pathway from local music-making to the international stage. Last year, the anniversary celebrations were kicked off by a reunion of hundreds of alumni in a special concert which raised funds for this weekend’s concert and new commission.

“We're about to celebrate the 75th year of this orchestra. We can all remember how lucky we were because we were at the start of the youth orchestra movement. It was pioneering what happened here and it changed all of our lives. We just want it to carry on doing that for people." – Sir Simon Rattle, Liverpool Echo

 

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Liverpool Philharmonic has updated its cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites. Such third party cookies may track your use on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time.

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