Greek Theater Concert, Thursday, July 30, 2026, 9:00 PM - Hertfordshire Youth Wind Sinfonia & Brass Ensembles (United Kingdom)

The 2026 Youth Orchestra Festival concludes on Thursday, July 30th at the Teatro Greco in the Giardini La Mortella with a return to the sounds of wind instruments so beloved by Sir William Walton. The evening's star performer will be the Hertfordshire Youth Wind Sinfonia & Brass Ensembles, one of Britain's most prestigious youth groups dedicated to wind orchestra repertoire, conducted by David Gordon-Shute.

The ensemble brings together the finest young wind, brass, and percussionists from the county of Hertfordshire, north of London, and is part of the Hertfordshire County Youth Music Groups, a program that offers the most promising musicians aged 13 to 21 a path of advanced artistic development through intensive courses, concerts, and international tours. Led by conductors and faculty from the UK's leading orchestras, these young performers regularly perform at prestigious venues such as the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Albert Hall, Watford Colosseum, and St. Albans Cathedral.

The evening's program is dedicated to the dialogue between popular traditions and contemporary music, demonstrating how folk music can transcend eras and geographical boundaries, revealing surprising affinities between diverse cultures. In an age when differences often seem to outweigh similarities, popular music confirms itself as a universal language capable of fostering encounters, dialogue, and sharing.

The concert's centerpiece will be a performance of William Walton's Johannesburg Festival Overture, composed in 1956 to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the South African city. Described by the composer himself as a "non-stop gallop," the overture is a brilliant and captivating piece that integrates authentic African themes, enhanced by a rich percussion section. Its performance takes on a special significance this year: 2026 marks not only the centenary of Lady Susana Walton's birth, but also the 140th anniversary of the founding of Johannesburg.

The program will include music by Malcolm Arnold, George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong, Nigel Hess, Haydn Wood, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, along with arrangements of famous British and Irish traditional melodies, including "Irish Tune from County Derry" by Percy Grainger and "Scarborough Fair."

Conducting will be David Gordon-Shute, a highly experienced musician, conductor, and teacher. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the University of Cambridge, and the Royal Academy of Music, Gordon-Shute has performed as a tubist with some of London's leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Opera House, and the BBC orchestras. He has also participated in the recording of famous film soundtracks, including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Zero Dark Thirty. Since 2001, he has taught at Eton College, where he heads the brass department, and is actively involved with youth orchestras and international masterclasses, including at the Juilliard School in New York.

This event concludes another edition of the Mortella Youth Orchestras Festival, which this year once again brought hundreds of young musicians from all over Europe to Ischia, confirming Lady Susana Walton's vision: to make music a tool for growth, friendship, and dialogue between peoples.

The Teatro Greco's musical season will continue with a special event: on August 21st, an extraordinary evening dedicated to Tango and Milonga will take place, organized to celebrate Lady Walton's birthday and pay homage to her Argentine roots. 

Fondazione William Walton e La Mortella
Via Francesco Calise 45, 80075, Forio (NA)
tel.: 081-986220, 081-986237