Last Saturday marked one of the saddest days of my professional life. The evening concert that took place at the Bedford Corn Exchange was the swan song for one of Britain's finest and oldest youth orchestras. So we have this in perspective, this is not only an orchestra that could boast alumni in every professional orchestra, or one that could proudly talk of tours to Russia, the Czech Republic, Budapest, Cyprus, Italy. It was also an orchestra that gave performances of Mahler symphonies that would please many seasoned orchestras, and one that was broadcast on Radio 3.
Bedford Youth Orchestra was no ordinary youth orchestra; this was a gem. Its long-term conductor and architect, Michael Rose, conducted the last concert and gave a moving speech before the final piece was performed. What does this say for our country, and our Conservative-led government? That they could allow such a resource to be lost, and lost for ever, is far more than a dereliction of duty – even a banana republic would blush at the callousness of letting something so good and worthwhile go in the name of short-term cuts (Fiona Millar, Education, 12 April).
Yours in disbelief,
James Dickenson
Woking, Surrey