HOW many musicians can there be in an orchestra before they need a conductor? Of course, it depends on the musicians, and on the repertoire: time was, a dozen seemed the safe limit.

At the Courtyard, the City of London Sinfonia proved 19 was no problem - nor 21, if you include two soloists for the Shostakovich concerto. Everyone just had to watch and listen harder.

There were six works with 16 movements: from Berlin, St Petersburg, Stockholm, Leningrad, Prague and Malvern Link. There was a symphony, one of 12 by Mendelssohn before he reached 14, and an encore to mark the 250th birthday of another child-prodigy, Mozart. In comparison, the soloists, Jonathan Scott, piano, and Nicholas Betts, trumpet, though a little older, seemed - and played - like veteran virtuosi.

For Hereford to get an orchestra of this size, and a Steinway piano too, costs much more than the ticket price. "Orchestras Live" itself depends on five substantial backers, from The Arts Council to Classic FM. The audience clearly appreciated the event (though every seat should have been full) and the smiles of the musicians showed they, too, relished the music, and the chance to share it with us. Peter Williams