Great British Bake Off 2021 Semi-Finalist Jürgen Presents London Philharmonic Orchestra with 90th Birthday Cake

On Saturday 22 October, Great British Bake Off Semi-Finalist 2021 and London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) fan Jürgen Krauss presented the Orchestra with a cake he made for its 90th birthday. The trombone player and Brighton resident cut the cake on stage at Brighton Dome, where the Orchestra has a residency, alongside Co-Principal Horn and Vice-President Mark Vines.

Speaking a few words to the audience, Jürgen explained that he had always enjoyed classical music and his connection with the LPO had been cemented when one night, he and his wife found themselves on the same train to Brighton as the players.

'We got chatting with the players in our carriage and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.'

Then, whilst he was on Bake Off, LPO trombone player David Whitehouse got in touch to try and arrange some duets and concert visits. Whilst the duets are yet to take place, Jürgen said 'it is fantastic that the LPO has a residency in Brighton so we can hear them regularly.'

The Orchestra then played Happy Birthday before LPO Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis conducted the second half of the concert: Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica). The cake was divided up backstage and enjoyed by the musicians after the concert.

The two-tiered cake had five lines made out of dark ganache running through it, imitating a stave; the lines on which musical notes are written. The raspberry flavour pays tribute to the Orchestra's distinctive pink logo and the outside was decorated with different instruments.

Jürgen showcased his love for classical music during Dessert Week when, for the Showstopper challenge, he hand-piped music from a 16th-century song by Henry VIII onto a collar which he then wrapped around the outside of the cake. He even sang the tune as Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith judged the bake.

The LPO turned 90 on Friday 7 October 2022, having been founded by conductor Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. Since then it has become one of the finest orchestras on the international stage and has also recorded soundtracks for numerous blockbuster films, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It has performed at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall since it opened in 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It also has flourishing residencies in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden as well as being resident at Glyndebourne Festival Opera for over 50 years, where it performs each summer.

About the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Uniquely groundbreaking and exhilarating to watch and hear, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been celebrated as one of the world's great orchestras since Sir Thomas Beecham founded it in 1932. With every performance we aim to bring wonder to the modern world and cement our position as a leading orchestra for the 21st century. Our home is at the Southbank's Royal Festival Hall, where we're at the beating heart of London's cultural life. You'll also find us at our resident venues in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and on tour throughout the UK and internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. Each summer we're resident at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and you'll find us online, on streaming platforms, on social media and through our broadcast partnership with Marquee TV. We also release live, studio and archive recordings on our own label, and are the world's most-streamed orchestra, with over 15 million plays of our content each month.

Our Principal Conductors have included some of the greatest historic names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2021 Edward Gardner became our 13th Principal Conductor, and Vladimir Jurowski became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his impact as Principal Conductor from 2007-21. Karina Canellakis is our current Principal Guest Conductor and Brett Dean our Composer-in-Residence.

We're committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and music-lovers: there's nothing we love more than seeing the joy of children and families enjoying their first musical moments, and we're passionate about equipping schools and teachers through schools' concerts, resources and training. Reflecting our values of collaboration and inclusivity, our OrchLab and Open Sound Ensemble projects offer music-making opportunities for adults and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Today's young instrumentalists are the orchestral members of the future, so we're committed to offering them opportunities to progress. Our LPO Junior Artists programme is leading the way in creating pathways into the profession for young artists from under-represented communities, and our LPO Young Composers and Foyle Future Firsts schemes support the next generation of professional musicians, bridging the transition from education to professional careers.

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