The concert was organised and promoted by The Welsh Sinfonia. The orchestra invited Benjamin to join them in the concert to perform the Concerto for Harp and Strings in B flat, Op 4 No 6 (HWV 294) by Handel.

This part time orchestra is made up of a base of freelance professional musicians and members of both the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and The Welsh National Opera, so to be invited as the soloist in a Concerto when you are only 8 1/2 is a fantastic opportunity. The Programme for the sold out concert also included The Gods Go A-Begging, a ballet suite arranged from the music of Handel by Sir Thomas Beecham and for the second half the Welsh Sinfonia was joined by a 100 strong choir made up from the members of the Crickhowell Choral Society and The Gwent Bach Society to perform Faure's Requiem.

Despite being very unwell recently, as soon as he heard about the concert the prominent international conductor Vernon Handley had offered to conduct Benjamin in the concerto, but unfortunately his recovery is slower than had been hoped for and he was still in hospital on the day of the concert. Dr Kieth Ellerington very kindly stepped in at the last moment for the orchestral works and Stephen Marshall took up the baton for the Requiem.

Benjamin performed very well. It is rather courageous for even the most experienced player to perform a Concerto with an orchestra with less than two weeks notice and only a single rehearsal with the orchestra one hour before the concert was due to start let alone when you are 8 years old and it is your concerto debut.

The concert raised over £3,000 for the DEC

The concert was arranged by Derek Morgan of Evensong and held in St Augustine's Church Hall, a venue where Evensong hold regular monthly ceilidhs. On the poster (see below) Derek had added "plus a surprise choir". What a surprise that was - one of, if not the, most prestigious choir in Wales - The Cardiff Ardwyn Singers!

It was a fantastic evening very much enjoyed by all. The concert was very well organised by Evensong and I did not have a thing to do. So, for once, I had the evening off and was able to attend a concert in which both my wife and son were performing rather than being stuck on the door, running the information stall or involved in some other way which would prevent me from being in the audience.

Despite my personal interest this was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable event I have been to for a couple of years, though what was never far from my thoughts was the very sad reason why the concert was being stage.

Tim Griffiths