A VIRTUAL Southampton orchestra which went global during the coronavirus pandemic has recorded a feature film.

More than 2,500 youth musicians from 28 countries have now taken part in the Virtual Youth Orchestra, which has completed 16 pieces of music since launching at the end of March.

Now some new musicians from across the world have shared how the project has impacted them, challenged them and affected their wellbeing during lockdown.

They also share why they feel music is important in our campaign to governments across the world to make sure the arts and music are protected especially as they should play a huge part in bringing children through this crisis affecting their lives and education.

Alex Pope, the Southampton music teacher and conductor who founded Showcase Music School in the city, is behind the project.

He has promised to keep supporting children aged seven to 18 with this free project until they can get back to rehearsals themselves.

They had their version of the Avengers theme tune retweeted to the 5.4 million followers of the official Avengers channel and have been approached to record tunes for Sky Sports News, Channel 4 News and Good Morning Britain.

They have also released a tribute for International Nurses Day featuring 500 musicians to the backdrop of pictures of nurses in Southampton and worldwide.

The project is an extension of the Showcase Young Players Orchestra who rehearse in the city every week.