With the approaching Christmas season, December 6th, 2003, saw the staging of a joint concert event drawing together many of the individuals and musical organisations that Oswestry Sinfonia had worked with over the years. Shrewsbury Cantata Choir, The Marches School choir and Adcote School choir joined forces with St Oswald’s Church choir in a wide-ranging performance of Christmas music.
Included in the programme were two new carols written by local composer Margaret Wegener who has been associated with the orchestra for many years. The undoubted highlight was a performance of Howard Blake’s “The Snowman”, complete with narration by Chris Eldon-Lee from BBC Radio Shropshire.
This event was something very special!
February 9th, 2003, was the start of the 25th Year of Oswestry Sinfonia, and the concerts to be staged between then and the end of our Silver Jubilee year (in February, 2005) were to highlight different aspects of the orchestra’s activities over those 25 years.
To kick off the celebrations in June, 2003, the orchestra welcomed the return of two people who had played their parts in shaping the orchestra’s success. Rachael England was invited to be the soloist in a performance of the well-loved Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Rachael had been a player with Oswestry Sinfonia whilst at school in the town and she made a very welcome return from studying music in America to play with the orchestra.
“Michael Bernamont took the baton to guide the orchestra in their accompaniment to the solo violin of one of his former pupils, Rachael England, in a stunning performance of Mendelssohn’s enduring popular Violin Concerto....”
“The whole concert was a triumphant success for Oswestry Sinfonia, in which the players achieved a standard practically indistinguishable from a fully professional symphony orchestra.”
In November, 2003, the celebrations continued, with the highlight of a concert staged in Holy Trinity Church being a performance of probably the best known classical symphony: Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. This was a work that the orchestra had first performed in it’s inaugural year, almost 25 years previously!
In addition, there was an opportunity to hear both the wind and string sections of the orchestra perform chamber works in the programme: -
Sibelius – Finlandia Strauss – Serenade for Wind
Dvorak – Serenade for Strings Beethoven – Symphony No. 5
February 9th 2004, was a landmark date in Oswestry Sinfonia’s history: the start of the orchestra’s Silver Jubilee season and, to celebrate, Adcote School played host, organisers and venue for our most ambitious venture so far, an outdoor mid-summer concert accompanied by a spectacular fireworks and Lasers finale.
With over 1000 tickets sold, the event proved to a tremendous success and a fitting tribute to the organisers at Adcote School and Oswestry Sinfonia celebrating it’s Silver Jubilee.
Under it’s performance name of The Midlands Festival Orchestra, Oswestry Sinfonia maintained its tradition of inviting players from across the Midlands to join us. Music by Verdi, Lehar, Wagner and Strauss featured, together with popular classics by Elgar and Parry.
The programme included Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien as a “starter” and the concert concluded with Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel accompanied by a wonderful laser and firework display.
In addition, her then music teacher, and Founder of Oswestry Sinfonia, Michael Bernamont, returned to conduct her in this performance!
The full programme comprised:-
Mendelssohn – “Ruy Blas” Overture
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto
Shostakovitch – Symphony No. 5
Sound Samples of all these pieces are available in our
Digital Media Library
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