Natalia Luis-Bassa conducts Elgar Second Symphony with Simon Bolivar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela

Eight famous amateurs with a passion for classical music will do battle this summer for the chance to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra in front of a live audience of 30,000 in BBC Two's Maestro.

The show sees a diverse range of personalities -- including drum and bass star Goldie, Blur bassist Alex James and actress Jane Asher -- competing to perform at BBC Proms In The Park, held in London's Hyde Park, as part of the BBC Proms' world-famous Last Night celebrations on 13 September 2008. Others striving to command the respect of one of the country's leading orchestras include newsreader Katie Derham, broadcaster Peter Snow, actor David Soul, comedian Sue Perkins and actor and comedian Bradley Walsh.

Mentors:
Brad Cohen
Jason Lai
Natalia Luis-Bassa
Matthew Rowe
Ivor Setterfield
Peter Stark
Sarah Tennant-Flowers
Christopher Warren-Green

Presenters Charles Hazlewood and Suzy Klein examine the various new music initiatives taking place in the UK, some inspired by the hugely successful Venezuelan project El Sistema. They are joined in the studio by Julian Lloyd-Webber, Natalia Luis-Bassa and David Soul