Surrey Arts Gala unites 300 young musicians from across the county

Surrey Arts held its latest Gala concert on Saturday, 15 March, at G Live in Guildford, showcasing the incredible talent of over 300 young musicians from 15 different ensembles. The event featured a diverse array of performances, including original compositions and well-known pieces, highlighting the inclusive spirit of Surrey Arts. The event included Surrey Arts Unlimited Potential (UP!) inclusive orchestra alongside its newest ensemble, World in Music, a diverse group which aims to introduce young people to unfamiliar cultures through both western and non-western musical traditions.

Sarah Lee, Head of Service for Surrey Arts said: "The Gala is a fantastic event which showcases the talent of our young people from many of our bands, orchestras and choirs. The concert allows young musicians to collaborate with others they would not normally have the chance to play with and gives an opportunity to play in a professional theatre."

At the event, Councillor Denise Turner Stewart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, said: "It is lovely to be here tonight at the Surrey Arts Gala 2025. I'm really impressed with how hard the children are working. They are really enjoying themselves this evening and the audience are having a great time. It's actually really moving to see the effort they are putting into their performances, so I would like to say a big thank you to all the staff and everyone who has organised this tonight."

The groups performed to a delighted audience with one parent commenting "Thank you to all the members of Surrey Arts staff for putting on such an epic concert! We thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a pleasure to see the wide range of ensembles run by Surrey Arts, many of which I'd never come across before."

Performances from the Gala will soon be available to view on the Surrey Arts YouTube channel.

Surrey Arts' ensembles perform at locations across Surrey throughout the year. Visit the Surrey Arts Ensembles webpage to find out more.