Hailed by Sir Simon Rattle as "an incomparable ambassador for the dynamism and excellence of British youth", the London Schools Symphony Orchestra has for over seventy years been regarded as a potent symbol of the talents and achievements of London's finest young musicians. It was founded in 1951 by Dr Leslie Russell to give young musicians from schools in London the opportunity to perform with professional conductors and soloists.
The orchestra currently gives three concerts a year at the Barbican Centre. The repertoire is wide and varied, ranging from Baroque concertos to contemporary works commissioned especially for the LSSO. Recent premieres have included major pieces by Jonathan Dove, John Taverner, and Vladimir Tarnopolski's comic cantata based on Roald Dahl's Cinderella.
The LSSO's young musicians have the opportunity to play masterpieces of orchestral music including symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, as well as Richard Strauss's mighty Alpine Symphony. They have also presented opera in concert including Ravel's The Child and The Magic Spells, Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Find out more about the LSSO below:
