Orchestra - Number 1

This Philharmonic Orchestra makes a unique contribution to the musical life of the region. It attracts players from a wide area and continues to develop with an ever more varied repertoire. As a non-professional orchestra it consists of players who are united by one principle, namely a love of music-making, and the sharing of that love with their audiences.

A sign of the orchestra's success is that it now thrives without the financial support of the Borough, quite unthinkable for a professional orchestra. Yet, they perform works that a municipal professional orchestra, based in a town of modest size could not envisage staging because of sheer expense. Examples of such works are our performances of Mahler's Second and Sixth Symphonies. In 2002 and 2004, and of symphonic works by Nielsen and Rachmaninov. It is particularly gratifying that the necessary 'extra' players have flocked to participate in these works. They have not 'bought them in'!