The opening concert of the London 2012 Festival will feature the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (SBSOV) led by Gustavo Dudamel. The Big Noise Orchestra, which is part of a programme inspired by and partnered with El Sistema, will join the Venezuelans in a special guest appearance. The concert will be performed in Raploch, Stirling, on an outdoor stage against the backdrop of Stirling Castle, on June 21.

The Big Concert will be broadcast live on BBC Four, Radio Scotland and on 22 outdoor screens at key sites across the UK. The event is set to be one of the most thrilling concert experiences of the year and has been named one of "10 events you must not miss," by The Daily Telegraph.

After a four-day residency in Raploch, in which the Venezuelans will work with the Scottish children from El Sistema Scotland, the SBSOV and Dudamel will continue their 2012 Tout of Europe in London, where they will give two concerts at the Southbank Center in London (June 23 and 26), as part on the Sounds Venezuela series.

Varied chamber ensembles from the SBYOV, such as the Atalaya Ensemble, the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble and the Simón Bolívar String Quartet will also participate in this series by giving concerts on June 24.

On June 28, they will perform at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, on June 30 at the L’Auditori de Barcelona, and on July 2 at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid. The concert program includes Benjamin Britten’s Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major Heroic, Esteban Benzecry’s Rituales amerindios, de Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, plus works by Latin American composers.