Over two days on July 4 and 5, more than 100 young musicians from Armidale and surrounds (including Coffs Harbour) came together in the Old Teachers College to form a Youth Orchestra of incredible size and sound. Under the baton of Ann Phelan from Bellingen (who has been leading the workshop for 15 years), the students learned seven orchestral works that many school-aged ensembles would take weeks to prepare. Considerable thanks must go to the many tutors who worked with students in smaller instrumental sections, teaching them their parts carefully so that Ann was able to pull everything together in a short time with limited rehearsals. At a concert on the Thursday afternoon all seven pieces were presented, with Dance of the Tumblers, Rocky Broadway and The Typewriter (percussion feature) proving to be hits with the appreciative audience.