A History of the Orchestra
The
Orchestra began its existence in the mid-sixties in an unlikely setting
- the drawing room of Cheltenham dentist and talented amateur pianist Douglas
Smith. Douglas initially played duos with a violinist (who still plays in
the Orchestra!) Over a period of time further string and then woodwind instruments
were added, playing, just for their own pleasure, trios/quartets/quintets
for piano and strings and piano and wind instruments. The two groups came
together and were further enlarged, enabling them to attempt early classical
symphonies and concerti.
Then, in 1968, rather to their surprise, they were invited to give a concert in Barnwood Church, Gloucester. Two questions immediately arose: what to call the group, and what to play? The entirely appropriate answer to the first was Cheltenham Sunday Players (every word of which was true!) and as for the second, Douglas Smith was able for the first time to realise his ambition to perform Mozart piano concertos. That first concert, in January 1969, included a performance of K459 #19 in F. Most subsequent concerts from 1969 until Douglas' last appearance in 1996 also featured a piano concerto. Mozart's K488 in A major was his particular favourite and he performed it more than twenty times over the years!
Another feature of the early years was that concerts were usually given in small village churches and other venues around north Gloucestershire They brought live orchestral music to places where it had never been heard before. In churches the concerts generally replaced Evensong; this was welcomed by vicars since it relieved them of the necessity of writing a sermon. It was also said to be welcomed by the congregation because it relieved them of the need to listen to one.
Conductors in those very early years were Eric Sanders, Anthony Baines and Roger Smith.
Mark
Foster, formerly a horn player with the LSO, took over in 1970 and continued
in that role until the end of 1999. Under Mark Foster the orchestra grew
greatly in size and its repertoire expanded, to the extent that its original
name became quite inappropriate and misleading, and the present name was
adopted in 1990. The orchestra tries to remain faithful to its original
aim, giving some of its concerts outside Cheltenham, but necessarily only
in venues that can accommodate the greater number of players now involved.
Under
the baton of Mark's successor, David Curtis, the orchestra has increased
in size, with a regular membership of over fifty players, and has extended
its repertoire yet further. The Orchestra now regularly performs large-scale
works - in 2004 Richard Strauss' "Alpine Symphony"; in 2005 Mahler’s
Second Symphony (Resurrection); in 2006 Berlioz's Requiem (Grande Messe
des Morts), as part of the Cheltenham International Music Festival; and
in 2007 Mahler's Third Symphony.
2008 was a memorable year.
On March 1st the Orchestra had the honour of giving a concert in Cheltenham Town Hall in support of the Mayor's charities. The concert netted more than £3100, the largest single contribution to the fund in 2008.
In the summer the Orchestra gave two concerts in the Haute Savoie region of southeast France as part of the Festival Musique et Nature en Bauges and a further concert in nearby Annecy.
The orchestra will be returning there in 2010.
In November the Orchestra performed Britten's War Requiem in Tewkesbury Abbey and in Colston Hall, Bristol, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice.
2008 ended with a highly successful concert in Pittville Pump Room in December. We again had the pleasure of performing with Samantha Ward, this time in Tchaikovsky's first Piano Concerto, and with 15-year-old violinist Therese de Souza in Beethoven's Romance in F. The Year 6 choir of Leckhampton Primary School was again in good voice, and joined the Orchestra in a performance of Waltz of the Snowflakes, part of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet music.