Christopher Morley speaks to two former members of the National Youth Orchestra about its far-reaching influence.

Maggie Cotton did it on a dare. Small-town boy Elmley de la Cour only got in on his third audition and the very last year he was eligible.

But for both, being part of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain meant an opportunity to mix with the musical greats of the time, and to go on to careers in the classical music world – as well as the prestige of being part of the Birmingham Post’s expert reviewing team.

The NYO will play its Summer Prom at Symphony Hall on August 3 (7.30pm) in a programme that bridges the generation gap. DJ Switch will play turntables in Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra while Gabriel’s late grandfather, Sergei, contributes his Romeo and Juliet suite.

Benjamin Grosvenor will also appear as soloist in Britten’s Piano Concerto.

Maggie and Elmley were both percussionists with the NYO. Maggie’s spell was during the 1950s, before she moved on to grace the percussion section of the CBSO for many decades, retiring only 12 years ago.

“I did it as a dare!” she declares, “And so did a lad, also from Huddersfield, who ended up as a bass-player in one of the London orchestras.”

Elmley’s stint was more recent, leaving the NYO just a couple of years ago, then playing with the CBSO Youth Orchestra, during which time he completed his BMus degree at the University of Birmingham.

Elmley (“Elmo” to his closest friends) recalls being awed by the talent of the young members of the NYO, and by the thought that their musical abilities appeared to exceed his own.

“I’d come from a sleepy town in the South-west of England, so this was my first experience that these kids really, really could play. I felt something of an outsider, because I only got in on my third audition and the last year of eligibility. You’d see kids that were better than you, and who got in first time.

“That was the whole experience for me – ‘Wow, this exists. It’s here and it can be done’.

“The idea that people who were still so young, as young as 13, not just having the actual talent and ability to play, but the emotional maturity to produce music that was intelligently played as it was, their ability to respond to the conductor’s wishes, that was really impressive as well.”

So is the musical ability taken as read?

“No,” Elmley replies, “it still astounded me every time I heard it, how good they were. But I think the ability to interpret intelligently was just another level on which everyone seemed to be.”

For Maggie, the experience was a great equaliser.