THE 70-piece Trirhenum Symphony Orchestra was founded in April 1999 and includes musicians of all ages from the region close to the Rhine where Germany, Switzerland and France meet.

The orchestra meets regularly in Basel, where it has quite a following at its concerts in the Martinskirche, as well as other towns in the area. Since its inception the orchestra has gone from strength to strength, with tours to Devon (1999) and southern Switzerland (2000).

The programme has wide appeal: Overture to Rossini's 'Barber of Seville', Brahms 'Double Concerto for Violin and 'Cello', and Dvorak's Eighth Symphony. The Swiss soloists Dominik Stark (violin) and Lea Hosch (cello) are well known in Basel.

Their English conductor Julian Gibbons lives close to Basel where he teaches the French horn, plays in the Basel Sinfonietta and conducts two other youth orchestras with which he regularly tours Europe.

He is already known to some people in this area through the Mid Border Arts Youth Music Exchange, which he initiated this summer at Bedstone College with talented young musicians from eight different countries. The concerts in early August at St Andrew's Church, Presteigne and Bedstone College were warmly acclaimed.

After spending a week in Galway, their tour will culminate in a three-day visit to Presteigne, where they will be staying with local families and will be performing in St Andrew's Church on Sunday, October 7 at 7.30pm and giving a workshop to local schools on Monday, October 8.