The cream of the county's young musicians will perform at the Royal Albert Hall - alongside leading scientist Lord Robert Winston.

Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra is taking to the stage at the world-renowned venue next week as part of a series of concerts being run for the Schools Proms event.

Their first performance will be a fanfare from the gallery before the concert finishes with the 111-piece orchestra playing Shostakovich's Festive Overture. Lord Winston will team up with the orchestra to perform a piece entitled The Old Castle from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

That performance will be filmed for a BBC2 series called Play it Again - in which celebrities who used to play a musical instrument are given the chance to pick it up again. Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra musical director Dick Hallam said: "We won't meet Lord Winston until Sunday, so our first rehearsal with him will be just two days before the event - hopefully it will be all right on the night!"

The orchestra also has the honour of closing the second day of the event by performing Elgar's rousing Pomp and Circumstance Number 1 to the backdrop of exploding indoor fireworks and a flag-waving audience.

The group - all aged between 14 and 21- was chosen from scores of young musicians who performed at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham earlier this year. Mr Hallam said: "The orchestra have played together a lot before, but not with fireworks, flag-waving and other distractions happening.

"They are a very capable group of musicians who are among the best in the country and are used to playing in prestige venues."

Mr Hallam has played at the Royal Albert Hall many times before but said he would still get nervous before he went out on stage to conduct. He added: "One never gets blas or complacent about playing there. It's a fantastic experience and is such a big venue."

Percussionist Lekai Lee, 16, said: "I am really looking forward to it. I played at the Royal Albert Hall once before with the percussion ensemble and the atmosphere was amazing."

Holly Warder, 15, who plays the viola, added: "I am really excited about it. Ever since we found out I have been so looking forward to it."