Orchestra United was a four-part British television series that followed a youth orchestra from its creation to a final, full-scale concert. The series was broadcast on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 during summer 2010.

The Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra was formed from 75 young people (11 to 18 years of age) from Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 who showed musical talent. The intention of its conductor, James Lowe

James Lowe (Conductor)

James Lowe is a British conductor and violist.As well as holding various assistant conducting posts and holding the post of Associate Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 2004 and 2007 he is the current artistic director of the New Bristol Sinfonia and of the West of Scotland...

, was to demonstrate that young people of all social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds could both enjoy and participate in major classical music. Two were selected to perform as soloists in a concert in the Hallé Orchestra's 2,000 seat Bridgewater Hall

Bridgewater Hall

The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....

, an important concert venue in Manchester.