Bail out our musicians or risk losing them for ever, say classical music stars

Conductor Sir Simon Rattle and violinist Tamsin Little are among those warning that struggling artists will be forced to give up

Leading figures in classical music say many highly-trained orchestral musicians are giving up on music as they face homelessness and hunger this autumn. Speaking to the Observer this weekend, the internationally renowned conductor Sir Simon Rattle warned that an exodus is happening right now", while top English soloists the violinist Tamsin Little and the pianist Stephen Hough both spoke of despair and desperation among even successful performers.

Next month, we will all expect to hear the traditional sound of music as we commemorate Armistice Day," said Little, an acclaimed virtuoso musician who trained as a child at the Yehudi Menuhin School. But consider who is playing all this beautiful music for us and where it will come from in the future?"