No members, no money, nothing just over 6 months ago except a vision. A vision of giving everyone and anyone the opportunity to play music without conditions and the desire to bring music to our communities.
No auditions, no grades, no pressure and no being nasty to anyone - 6 months later our first public concert, 100% free to the public thanks to the extremely generous support and confidence Waitrose placed in the Orchestra.
Thanks in large to the magnificent support of Waitrose and the many others who have helped us on our way (Skipton Community Orchestra, Horsham Symphony Orchestra, Croydon Orchestra Ensemble, our wonderful fun Patron Rainer Hersch and Trombonist Richard Cross) the Orchestra performed a spirited free concert for the good people of Edenbridge, just a few miles from Chartwell, the much loved home of England's most famous amateur artist and passionate supporter of the arts, Sir Winston Churchill.
With Professional Violinist and Founding Conductor, Shona Fenion, conducting the Orchestra the team skillfully delivered a rounded repertoire demonstrating beyond any doubt the depth of passion, versatility, skill and determination that exists in the grass roots amateur Orchestra world. And we have some laughter on the way too.
We now move on to our Christmas repertoire under the leadership of our new conductor, Jackey Birch, who brings a wonderfully communicative conducting style, with Shona Fenion playing a key role in developing our strings section.