A STUFFY Southampton Guildhall was the venue for some youthful musical treats this week, in a concert which brought together several talented young Southampton groups including Southampton Youth Orchestra, the Youth Sinfonia, Purcell Strings and the Holst and Elgar Junior Orchestras.

This major coming-together of so many diverse groups was no small undertaking, but, despite one or two hold-ups, the evening offered the most perfect showcase imaginable for the youngsters' musical talents and enthusiasm.

Pieces performed ranged from the whimsical and child-friendly, such as Graham Frewer's Who's in a Pickle Then? to the more ambitious, which included Sibeliu's Tone Poem: Finlandia and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which saw more than 300 children and teenagers playing together for a fittingly big finale.