Founded in 1983 by composer Jeremy Pike, Stamford Chamber Orchestra has been performing regularly in Stamford for 40 years, welcoming amateur musicians from the area to rehearse and perform a wide variety of music to the delight of local audiences. The orchestra encourages local young musicians to take part in concerts and organises special concerts with them in mind as audience. 

Under the guidance of conductor Mark Austin, finalist in the Chicago Solti Conducting Competition, the orchestra has gone from strength to strength, benefitting from his outstanding musicianship and insight. Having conducted the Britten Sinfonia and Aurora Orchestra and worked with leading conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, Mark has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, continuing the tradition of exceptionally high standards of music making.

Over the last decade the orchestra has accompanied many fine musicians, performing works such as Haydn’s beloved trumpet concerto and Bruch’s famous violin concerto.  

UPCOMING CONCERTS

28 January 2023 

Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Novelletten for String Orchestra

Gounod Petite Symphonie

George Brown New Commission

Holst Wind Quintet

Schumann Adagio espressivo from Symphony 2

As well as the orchestra’s 40th anniversary, this year also marks the 150th birthday of the quintessentially English composer Vaughan Williams, so to mark the occasion the orchestra are performing the magical Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. With its unique scoring for string quartet and two string orchestras, the evocative music is perfect for the beautiful setting of Stamford Arts Centre’s Ballroom. The programme will also feature a premiere of music composed for the orchestra’s anniversary, written by resident composer and oboist George Brown.

18 March 2023 

Emilie Mayer Faust Overture

Strauss Horn Concerto No 1 (Alex Wide)

Beethoven Symphony 3 ‘Eroica’

In March the orchestra welcomes the newly appointed Principal Horn for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Alex Wide, who has extensive experience performing with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic. The concert promises to be a fantastic experience for the audience and local musicians alike. With Mark Austin’s expertise in musicology, the orchestra is continuing to champion the works of women, featuring the Faust Overture by prolific composer Emilie Mayer. Somewhat of an enigma and with very little known about her life, she composed eight symphonies as well as many chamber works.

1 July 2023  

40th Anniversary Concert 

Wagner Siegfried Idyll

Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending 

Haydn Symphony 104

For the season finale, Stamford Chamber Orchestra welcomes Classic FM’s Rising Star artist nominee, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux. Born in France, Charlotte is the 2021 grand prize winner of Young Classical Artists Trust and Concert Guild International Competition. She has performed at the Wigmore Hall and BBC Proms and is leader of the prize-winning Quatuor Confluence, who are currently young artists in residence at the Foundation Singer-Polignac in Paris. She may be familar to some readers from her performances at the Stamford International Music Festival (SIMFest). 

In a return to the music of Vaughan Williams, the orchestra will be performing the sublime Lark Ascending with Charlotte, who is playing on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, kindly loaned to her by the Swiss foundation Boubo-Music. This will be accompanied by Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, written as a dedication of love to his wife on her birthday. Finishing with Haydn’s London Symphony, the evening promises to be a night to remember.

All three concerts are at Stamford Arts Centre, 27 St Mary’s Street, Stamford PE9 2DL. To book, visit www.stamfordartscentre.com

www.stamfordchamberorchestra.org