Like a lot of people, John Wilson grew up enchanted by the sights and sounds of the great Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals which would air cheaply every weekend afternoon on the BBC. Casually played out on BBC2 while everyone else watched Grandstand, these grainy classics with overbearing, often tawdry opening credit sequences masked some genuine Hollywood magic.

For in the Hollywood hills there was gold and it manifested itself in beautifully-produced and soundtracked musicals such as An American in Paris and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Happy days, and, for John Wilson, enormously formative and influential times that would eventually shape his entire professional career.

Formed in 1994, the John Wilson Orchestra has found fame for delivering performances 'in Technicolor', as Wilson has led his expanded big band through the affectionate retelling of many of Hollywood's finest scores, often lovingly arranged exactly as first performed. The evocative scores of some of cinema's most memorable moments married with a selection of Rodgers and Hammerstein classics has proved a winning combination and tickets to see the John Wilson Orchestra are highly sought after. Just as well, then, that he has announced a new tour for 2012.

The John Wilson Orchestra begins its autumn tour at Birmingham's Symphony Hall on Saturday 20th October, followed by dates in Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Gateshead, Brighton and London's Royal Festival Hall (two nights), before the final show of the run at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on Monday 5th November 2012.

We have tickets available now for the two London dates (29th and 30th October), priced from £32.50 to £45. We will have tickets for the remaining dates when they go on sale at 9am on Friday 30th March, priced from around £36.