After two amazing mornings of auditions, where we were totally blown away by the level of talent and variety of wonderful performances, we have four wonderful Finalists who will be competing to perform their concerto in our Concert of English Music with Peter Stark.
The Final will take place 10 – 1pm on Sunday 21 January at Camden Girls School – it’s an Open Rehearsal so do join us if you are nearby.
The winner will have the hugely valuable opportunity to perform their concerto in our February 11 Concert under the baton of our esteemed Conductor Emeritus Peter Stark. Peter has conducted a number of the world’s leading ensembles and is renowned as a teacher and trainer.
a fabulous Family Concert with Tom Hammond on March 18 working with talented young players from the Camden Sinfonia
choosing our new Principal Conductor
working with a group of emerging young professional conductors to see who will get the chance to take part in our “Behind the Baton” concert in May
and so much more…..
Join us if you are looking for some high standard playing in a really good and friendly orchestra or if you are looking for some lovely afternoons or evenings of music come and hear our concerts.
Looking back at the highlights of 2017, there are so many to choose from….
Chris Stark and Matt Strover
The year kicked off with our February concert of beautiful Romantic music conducted by Chris Stark, best-known as the Conductor and Co-Artistic Director of the award winning Multi-Story Orchestra. The programme included a stirring performance of Brahms 3rd Symphony and a wonderful rendition of Bruch’s Kol Nidrei by the exciting young cellist, Matthew Strover.
Jaga, Barbara, Tom and Jan
Early in 2017, thanks to the generous support of the Ernest Read Trust, we were delighted to be able to appoint our new String Principals. These appointments have helped the orchestra to continue to build and strengthen our excellent string sections and ERSO has benefited hugely from working with Deputy Leader Jaga Klimaszewska, Principal Cello Barbara Mohorko, Principal 2nd Violin Tom Rowan-Young and Bass Mentor Jan Zahourek
Tim Redmond
In March, we held a Family Concert at the lovely church of St Mary’s at Primrose Hill. The concert was expertly conducted and presented by Tim Redmond and themed around types of movement. We “swam” with the swans from Swan Lake, “flew” with the bicycle in the ET Theme and went on a journey on a steam train in Honegger’s Pacific 231. Talented young musicians from the Camden School for Girls joined ERSO to expertly perform Mambo from West Side Story and Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine and the cheers from the audience showed how proud their families were!
Tom Hammond and Dinara Klinton
May brought a wonderful Nordic themed concert with Tom Hammond. The rafters of St John’s Church at Waterloo rang out with the stirring 5th Symphony by Sibelius. The concert opened with the chance to hear the relatively rarely performed Overture and Dance of the Cockerels from Nielsen’s opera Maskerade. The first half ended with a polished performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto by the exciting, award-winning young soloist Dinara Klinton who is kindly supported by Making Music’s Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists scheme.
In the summer we launched two exciting competitions under the auspices of our newly created ERSO Talent Programme, which links all of our work with emerging professional musicians. In its first exciting year the ERSO Talent Programme will focus on emerging soloists through the ERSO Soloist of the Year 2018 competition and emerging conductors in our Behind the Baton project in May 2018.
Our Finalists!
We had two amazing mornings of auditions for the ERSO Soloist of the Year and were totally blown away by the level of talent and variety of wonderful performances. We were completely spoilt for choice! However, we finally picked our four finalists, who will compete in the Final on January 21st to win the chance to perform their chosen concerto with ERSO, conducted by the eminent Peter Stark.
In October we put on a fabulous concert of Romantic music under the baton of Sam Burstin, which was a truly special event.
Sam Burstin and Ana Sinkovec
Our wonderful soloist Ana Sinkovec gave an amazing rendition of the Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto and the emotional performance of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony left the audience spellbound.
Our final concerts in November were two hugely enjoyable afternoons of music in Camden and Kew, working with children from the Camden Music Service’s Camden Training Orchestra and also with children from Kings House School in Richmond. Our fabulous presenter Tim Keasley guided us through fairy-tale lands and outer space, with a short visit to Brazil to help find a rather spirited missing cow…… The children who performed with ERSO sat within the orchestra throughout the concerts and they certainty enjoyed themselves – when asked “Are there any ways we can improve the concert experience?”, one simply replied “NO!”. Parents in the audience also had a great time, enjoying the interactive elements of the concerts and saying that it was “A wonderful idea to inspire the young performers – fantastic!”
ERSO were under the expert baton of Chris Stark, who worked with us to deliver some really beautiful moments of Ravel, Ives and Milhaud.
All of that and so much more – we simply can’t wait for 2018!!!!
At ERSO we have a long traditions of working with emerging professional musicians and May sees us working with some of the most talented in the next generation of conductors.
This project will provide a valuable development opportunity for emerging conductors to consolidate and develop their conducting skills and rehearsal technique whilst extending their knowledge of orchestral repertoire. Conductors will be nominated by the leading conservatoires and four will be selected to take part in the concert based upon an initial selection round in which each candidate will have a short rehearsal with ERSO.
Each of the four selected will conduct a part of the ERSO May 2018 concert. The young conductors will also illuminate the role of the conductor to the concert audience, helping to develop their presentation skills, essential to conductors today.
Mark Shanahan
We have engaged Mark Shanahan, a highly respected conductor, to act as a mentor for the young conductors during the project. Mark will advise the young conductors on ways to improve their conducting technique and to work more effectively with the orchestra. Each conductor will be able to observe the all of the rehearsal sessions to learn from each other and ERSO will give each conductor feedback after rehearsals and the concert.
The concert programme will be:
Brahms; Variations on a Theme of Haydn
Rachmaninov; The Rock
Tchaikovsky; Romeo & Juliet
Gershwin; An American in Paris
I am a freelance violinist. I play concerts as a soloist, I have a violin clarinet and piano trio, I play in a quartet and I am a deputy leader at the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra.
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I went to an orchestra concert with my mother and I kept looking at the violinists. Apparently I kept saying that I want to play the violin after that. I was 7 when I went to a music school and I started playing.
What made you choose the concerto that your will be playing?
Jaga at her audition
It was always my dream to play the Sibelius concerto with an orchestra.
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Peter Stark?
Winning the competition would be a big step in my career and definitely a dream come true!
I am currently a second year postgraduate student at the Guildhall School, where I study with Stephanie Gonley and Ofer Falk. I am also a peripatetic violin teacher in the borough of Bexleyheath, and I freelance around the city
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
As the story goes, I began asking my parents for a violin when I was 3 – they made me ask for a whole year until they finally gave in and signed me up for Suzuki lessons. That was nearly 20 years ago, and I’ve never second-guessed my 3-year old wish. I also really loved how much my practising annoyed my sister…I don’t think she minds anymore thoough!
What made you choose the concerto that you will be playing?
Callie auditioning
The Walton violin concerto is such a gem, and so rarely played. The first time I heard it I was mesmerized, and made a promise to myself that I would someday play it with an orchestra. The piece is simultaneously romancing and haunting, the entire first movement is based on a melody that stretches up a Major 7th, which is just shy of an octave; this really gives you the feeling of grasping for understanding, but not quite reaching it. Fun fact: the second movement was apparently inspired from William Walton having been bit by a tarantula!
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Peter Stark?
I’ve played a lot of chamber music in my career, but in my opinion, soloing with an orchestra is one of the most intense and rewarding forms of chamber music there is. The relationship between the solo part and the orchestra is so unique and can create an amazing atmosphere for audience and ensemble. There can be such a special interplay of interpretations and conversation between parts, especially in such a piece as this. I haven’t yet had the chance to play a concerto with an orchestra, and I think working with Peter Stark and the ERSO would be an amazing first experience; There is a lot I could learn from both conductor and ensemble. This concerto is one that is very dear to me, and I’m so excited for the opportunity to share it with the ERSO and public!
I am a third year undergraduate oboe student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Alongside my studies I take on freelance playing work with various orchestras and ensembles and I also teach the oboe on Saturday mornings at the Wandsworth Music Academy.
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I started learning the oboe when I was 10 years old. I had previously been learning the recorder and initially wanted to move on to the flute, as I knew some children at my school who learned it. I suggested this to my mum who quickly responded with “no, everyone plays the flute- learn the oboe!”. Despite being blissfully unaware of the many hours I would eventually spend making reeds, I definitely feel I ended up on the right instrument!
What made you choose the concerto that you will be playing?
Michael at his audition for ERSO Soloist of the Year
I have chosen to perform the Strauss concerto as I feel it perfectly demonstrates what the oboe does best: playing beautiful, endless melodies. The concerto was written in 1945 towards the end of Strauss’s life during what is known as his ‘Indian Summer’ of music, where he composed numerous beautiful pieces of music including his Four Last Songs and the Metamorphosen for solo strings, which I feel collectively paint a picture of Strauss’s life as a composer.
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Peter Stark?
I have chosen to pursue a career as an oboist as performing is what I am most passionate about, so having the chance to perform one of my all-time favourite pieces of music as a soloist with such a fantastic orchestra and conductor would be a dream come true!
I work in music as a performer, teacher and as an animateur, which means I lead creative music projects and workshops.
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I started playing the flute when I was 8 years old. I heard James Galway playing on the radio and I was instantly captivated by the clear, pure beauty of the sound. I still feel the same about the sound of the flute, all these years later!
What made you choose the concerto that you will be playing?
To me, Mozart is all about beauty of line and expression delivered with great poise. There’s always a feeling of it being just out of reach but this makes me want to keep playing it and trying to do it justice.
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Peter Stark?
have always enjoyed working with Peter and found his musical ideas inspiring. I would really appreciate the chance to develop my performance alongside Peter and with ERSO.
Today ERSO enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of music with the young players and singers from Kings House School in Richmond. Our fabulous presenter Tim Keasley guided us through fairy-tale lands and outer space, with a short visit to Brazil to help find a rather spirited missing cow……
ERSO were under the expert baton of Chris Stark, best known for his work with the acclaimed Multi-Story Orchestra, and Chris worked with us to deliver some really beautiful moments of Ravel, Ives and Milhaud.
Our founder Ernest Read put on his first concert for schools almost 90 years ago (back in 1929). He knew that the length, content and style of a concert needed to reflect the audience and developed an innovative format that many professional symphony orchestras still follow today with short programmes, accessible introductions to the repertoire and audience participation.
After two amazing mornings of auditions, where we were totally blown away by the level of talent and variety of wonderful performances, we have four wonderful Finalists who will be competing to perform their concerto in our Concert of English Music with Peter Stark.
Our final concerts in November were two hugely enjoyable afternoons of music in Camden and Kew, working with children from the Camden Music Service’s Camden Training Orchestra and also with children from Kings House School in Richmond. Our fabulous presenter 
What is your main occupation at the moment?
ERSO 