THE 50th Harrogate Festival now under way has launched a £1m fundraising campaign to secure the future of the event for the next 50 years.

Guest curator Julian Lloyd Webber, who began his career in Harrogate as a Young Musician, urged audiences to support the this year's event.

He said: “I played the Royal Hall in 1970 when I was 19 in a Beethoven bicentenary concert with John Lill. Harrogate has great venues and a great musical tradition. You know you're going to get a good audience of people who follow classical music and are very warm and appreciative.”

He helped develop the 2015 Young Musicians series featuring rising stars in classical music and is passionate about the transformative power of music for children.

"We have seen some so-called problem children flourishing academically after they've started to learn an instrument. Music isn't a frill, it's a necessity,” he said.

On Sunday, Harrogate Symphony Orchestra presents a children's concert in the afternoon in the Royal Hall and on Thursday, young musician Chloe Saywell, performs in St Wilfrid's Church at noon.

Other performers include master harpsichord player Mahan Esfahani on Thursday; Sweet Chariot – Thomas Rutling and the Road to Freedom next Friday; and The Flanders Symphony Orchestra in the Royal Hall on Sunday, July 26.