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It’s like playing Mahler 1, but 8 times…….

When Team ERSO bravely battle the 100 miles and huge hills of the Prudential Ride London, their cycling efforts will take longer than ERSO playing Mahler 1 a whopping 8 times over.  And it will be even harder work!

Support them if you can: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ERSOis90

Any donations will go towards ERSO’s big 90th Birthday concert in 2021, giving opportunities to Camden children and to young professional musicians at the start of their careers.

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Team ERSO – conductor Chris, oboist Dan, trumpeter Jonathan and supporter John

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What a prize!

Next year’s winner of the ERSO Soloist of the Year will have get even more of an opportunity:

  • They will be our soloist in June 2020 at a packed concert in the Waterloo Festival
  • AND the winner of our emerging composers’ competition will create a contemporary classical piece created for them
  • AND they will be the soloist at our big 90th Birthday Gala concert at the Duke’s Hall in spring 2021

Interested? Check out the ERSO Soloist of the Year 2020 competition which is open to orchestral players who are ERSO members or who have done at least one project with ERSO in 2019/20.

Support our cyclists who will be riding 100 miles to help us raise funds for the 90th Birthday: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ERSOis90

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Cycling

full cycle teamWhy are Team ERSO (conductor Chris, oboist Dan, trumpeter Jonathan and supporter John) cycling 100 miles wearing these “stylish” tops?

We’ll give you a clue – it’s not because they love pink or very tall hills…….

It’s to raise money for ERSO’s historic 90th Birthday celebration.

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ERSOis90

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100 miles?????!!!

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Our fabulous Team ERSO cycling top!

So, why are conductor Chris, oboist Dan, trumpeter Jonathan and supporter John cycling the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100?

 

It’s 100 miles long and includes some alarmingly big hills.  They will also be wearing these delightfully fetching tops…..

 

 

Its to raise money for ERSO’s 90th Birthday concert in 2021.

ERSO has a long tradition of working with children and providing opportunities for young professional musicians at the start of their careers.

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Chris in more usual attire with Henry Hargreaves, 2019 ERSO Soloist of the Year

In our 90th Birthday concert we’ll be joined by Camden children singing and playing with ERSO.  We’ll also premiere new music by the winner of our young composers’ competition and feature the winner of our 2020 ERSO Soloist of the Year competition.

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Chris with ERSO and children from the Camden Training Orchestra

Any money we raise will help to fund this charitable element of our Birthday concert.  Find out more and support us if you can at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ERSOis90!

 

 

 

 

Could it be YOU??

Would YOU like to win the chance to perform a concerto with ERSO, conducted by Chris Stark?

Fancy having a contemporary classical piece created especially for you by the winner of ERSO’s emerging composers’ competition?

AND then getting the chance to perform this with ERSO as a soloist in the Duke’s Hall at the Royal Academy of Music?

Then check out the ERSO Soloist of the Year 2020 competition which is open to orchestral players who are ERSO members or who have done at least one project with ERSO in 2019/20.

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Time is speeding by!

It’s only three weeks to go before intrepid Team ERSO attempt the Prudential Ride London 100 to raise money for the ERSO’s big 90th Birthday in 2021!!

speedy bikesIts a really TOUGH ride and it just shows how much our conductor Christopher Stark, trumpet player Jonathan Newby, oboist Dan Elson and supporter John Leeming must love ERSO!  They are all training super-hard though we’re not sure they will be quite as fast as this picture…..

Find out more and support us if you can: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ERSOis90.  Any donations, big or small, will help our work with children and providing opportunities for young professional musicians in the 90th Birthday concert.

We are SO grateful to everyone who has supported us so far – this means so much to our riders, the orchestras and the young musicians we work with.

 

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Inspired by Ernest Read!

ERSO’s founder Ernest Read was hugely respected for his work with children and young professional musicians and we are proud to carry on his legacy.

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ERSO and the Camden Training Orchestra in NOvember 2018

Last year we worked with over 100 children in Camden in two specially designed concerts.  We work with the Camden Music Service and the Camden School for Girls to support the musical journeys of Camden children by offering the opportunity to perform in concerts with ERSO, which helps to inspire and encourage the children to continue with their music-making.

Our ERSO Talent programme aims to provide valuable opportunities to young professional musicians to help them bridge the gape between training and a professional career.  Our ERSO Soloist of the Year competition gave talented soloists the chance to compete to perform a concerto with ERSO.

final poster ERSO SOLOIST OF THE YEAR-page-001Winner Henry Hargreaves stunned us with his fabulous performance of Schumann’s Cello Concerto and finalists Bella Fleming  and Joe Yang will have the chance to perform as soloists this coming season.  And our great team of section leaders  Penny JamesLucy Haggerwood-Bullen, Henry and new Brass Leader Grady Hassan help to deliver ERSO’s educational projects whilst gaining valuable experience of leading and managing their sections.

2021 will mark the orchestra’s 90th birthday and we have big plans to celebrate the orchestra’s incredible history and Ernest Read’s massive contribution to music education.  Help us to celebrate ERSO’s incredible history by supporting our 90th Birthday Fundraising Campaign which kicks off with intrepid Team ERSO taking on the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 in August 2019.  Any money raised will be used towards our work with children and young professional musicians in our 90th Birthday Gala concert.

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Could it be YOU?

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Henry and ERSO in June 2019

Fancy following on from this year’s ace winner of our ERSO Soloist of the year competition Henry Hargreaves?

Would you like to win the chance to perform a concerto with ERSO in front of a packed audience at the 2020 Waterloo Festival, conducted by Chris Stark?

Fancy having a solo piece created especially for you by the winner of our ERSO emerging composers’ competition?  And being our soloist in our 90thBirthday Gala concert at the prestigious Duke’s Hall at the Royal Academy of Music in 2021?

If the answers are YES, YES, YES and YES then check out our ERSO Soloist of the Year 2020 competition!  Entry is free and the competition is open to players of all orchestral instruments who do at least one concert (plus rehearsals) in our 2019/20 season.

Greetings Grady! – our new Brass Leader

We are delighted to welcome tuba player Grady Hassan as ERSO’s new Brass Section Leader.

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Jonathan Newby

Talented tuba player Grady is taking over from ERSO’s current Brass Leader Jonathan Newby. Jonathan is stepping down after 2 great years of helping us to build up our fabulous ERSO brass section.  But don’t worry – we’ll still see him as our Principal Trumpet!

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Grady Hassan

Grady graduated in Biological Sciences from Imperial College.  During his science studies Grady continued his musical development through tuition at the Royal College of Music as the recipient of the Ash Scholarship and Coldstream Guard Scholarship.  He is now a full time student at the RCM, studying the MPerf course, where he is in receipt of the Michael Quinn Award.

What a season!

What a season we’ve had at the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra! It was our first with fab new Principal Conductor Christopher Stark and promises even greater things to come, as the music just kept on getting better.
 
Highlights included: amazing solo performances by Michael Stowe and Henry Hargreaves; 3 great symphonies – Dvorak 7, Shostakovich 6 and Mahler 1 and two hugely engaging concerts with children in Camden working with the Camden Training Orchestra and young singers and orchestral musicians at the Camden School for Girls.
We can’t wait till next season which looks promises to be very special. If you are a London-based grade 8+ musician and interested in being part of ERSO, please get in touch on ersoinfo@gmail.com.  We are always especially keen to hear from string and brass players.2019-20 season announcement-page-002 (4)