With the press and media so preoccupied with snow stories, and whether Gordon Brown will be ousted from No 10 ahead of a general election, the small stories struggle for space.
But today there is a small story which really matters: The Festival of British Youth Orchestras which has taken place in Edinburgh and Glasgow for the last 30 summers does not have funding to continue. Every August, some 2000 musicians from across the UK flock to Scotland with their groups to perform grown-up concerts in front of critical audiences. Many professional musicians started here, perhaps playing their first concerto.
It will be a very very sad day for schools music if this is allowed to go under. Surely we need to nurture our young talent, not limit opportunities? It is a paradox when funders are falling over themselves to support the several el sistema initiatives which are being run in the UK, including the wonderful Big Noise in Stirling, that our Youth Orchestras are being left high and dry.
Perth Youth Orchestra has performed every year since the festival started, and the Glasgow and Edinburgh concerts are a big highlight of the year for our local young musicians. There will be a big hole and a lot of disappointment this summer.
Perth Youth Orchestra
