One of the stars of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra hopes to continue the phenomenon from Bermuda.

David France, a violin teacher at The Bermuda School of Music, shot to fame last week as one of the 96 musicians broadcast live from Carnegie Hall.

Mr. France, who has been playing the violin for 25 years, was picked to take part from more than 3,000 musicians from all over the world.

He also had the honour of being a concert master and performing as lead violinist in 'Warehouse Medicine from B-Sides' by Mason Bates.

Following the historic concert, Mr. France has been featured in Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, CBS and ABC News, the BBC News and even Al Jazeera.

Taking part in the concert was "amazing", he said.

"It was definitely the most inspirational concert I've ever been to. The level of musicianship was extraordinary and everyone was just really excited," he said.

"We rehearsed for three days but the concert was more together and passionate than the rehearsals."

Another great experience was the 95 friends he made from fellow orchestra members. And while in New York, Mr. France said he was inspired to ask some of them whether they would like to play in Bermuda.

"At our first meeting the YouTube Symphony Orchestra organisers put a lot of the future in our hands. They told us to dream of what we wanted in the future," said Mr. France.

"Our friendships started before we arrived in New York as they created a Google group for us. When we met there was instant friendship."

He said: "I would now like to bring members of the Symphony Orchestra to Bermuda for a series of recitals.

"Many of the players are already interested in coming here. People are already asking me to become part of the YouTube Symphony Recital Series, and we have yet to start it."

Mr. France is now appealing for potential sponsors to step forward. "They have the opportunity to bring to the Island the best talent in the world," he said. "People are really interested in coming to Bermuda."

Also interested is Gil Shaham, the award-winning Israeli violinist.

"Gil Shaham is a world-class soloist and is interested in coming also," said Mr. France. "So the sponsors would have an opportunity to be involved with some of the best young talent in the world.

"The YouTube Symphony Orchestra was the most covered classical concert in the world, so Bermuda has an opportunity here to enjoy some of artists, while at the same time attracting interest from around the globe."

Mr. France, from Connecticut, has been teaching at The Bermuda School of Music for five years and currently has a couple of openings for students.

n If you are interested in taking violin lessons or becoming a sponsor of the YouTube Symphony Recital Series, contact Mr. France at The Bermuda School of Music on 296 5100.