The concert given by the National Youth Orchestra Under 18s last Saturday night was a heartening experience. It was the final event in a tour which, in just 10 days, covered six venues in Denmark and two in Ireland.

In fundamentals of orchestral discipline such as clean ensemble, conductor Gearoid Grant kept a tight grip without strait-jacketing spontaneity. That is a valuable quality in a mixed-ability group, for it inspires the less able and encourages the stronger to lead.

The string tone had warm homogeneity, and this was put to good use in Leroy Anderson's Irish Suite and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. As usual with orchestras at this level, the wind and brass could not match the strings' precision of blend and tuning; but there was some fine solo playing, especially in the slow movement of the Tchaikovsky.

The achievements of this concert - and of the orchestra's course tutors - are all the more creditable given the unequal provision of music teaching in this country. Witness the printed programme's list of participants' names and homes, where large regions were not represented by one player, and in the strings females outnumbered males by more than 10 to one.

For me, this concert's most inspiring aspect was the performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor. Sarah Sexton is 21, studying in London and the current leader of the NYOI. Her playing of the concerto's solo part showed why she has recently been attracting attention as a chamber musician as well as a soloist. This was a memorable display of maturity, as well as virtuosity. With playing which was pliable and as responsive to the orchestra as they were to her, Sexton set an example for others to follow in the future.