THE acclaimed young talents of the Westmorland Youth Orchestra return to the stage on Saturday, November 25, with a fresh and imaginative concert format.

Staged at The Lakes School, Troutbeck Bridge, the popular ensemble's autumn concert features classics from well-known composers, such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, JS Bach’s Air on a G String and excerpts from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No 5, interspersed with a brand new and inventive venture for WYO - a classical music quiz.

Soloists for the concert will be string players Alistair Burton, Maciek Rzepczyk, Paddy Davies and Martin Greaves and clarinettist Ellie Moore.

The performance is also the dynamic debut for newly-installed conductor, Fredrik Holm, who steps onto the Westmorland Youth Orchestra concert podium for the first time. Following in the illustrious footsteps of previous incumbent Roland Fudge will be no easy task but the Swedish-born musician has a wealth of experience under his belt and a CV to match and with his renowned energy and enthusiasm will no doubt bring a new inventiveness and ambition to the highly regarded youth orchestra.

Based at Lancaster, the conductor, bassoonist, composer and music teacher, performed a bassoon solo with the WYO in 2014. A well-known local musician who performs in many ensembles and teaches in local schools, Fredrik aims to help increase awareness of what it is that makes music enjoyable.

Fredrik has played with a number of professional chamber music groups in the UK, Sweden and Denmark and has worked in more than 50 different orchestras as a freelance instrumentalist. He has also undertaken extensive work as a singer, piano player and organist. Classical music has been his main profession but he has also worked with improvising theatre companies, and in jazz and rock bands. He has conducted continuously since 2001 with ensembles, including Concentus (choir), Falkenbergs Windband, Gothenburg Youth Orchestra, The U3A singers and many more.

As a teacher, Fredrik has organised numerous workshops through his In Tune company in almost anything musical - Introduction to Classical music for children, Playing music using Books, Sound Awareness for adults, Theatre Music workshops, and more. He tutors around 25 students weekly in piano, singing, theory, recorder and bassoon and has worked part time as a class teacher at Lancaster Girls Grammar School and at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.

Fredrik also started composing in 2007, and has since created three CDs with classical-style music and one with modern songs in a variety of styles.

And that's not all: he has been commissioned to write music for four theatre performances and numerous songs for choirs, chamber music and orchestras. His music has been performed locally but also on radio and in countries such as Sweden, United States, Canada, Australia and Italy.

The WYO's Classical Quiz Night performance starts at 7.30pm; welcome music from 7pm.

Tickets at the door.