How to Join
All prospective members of the orchestra must audition for entry. Please contact the Musical Director, Adrian Brown (contact details below), to arrange an audition. Auditions can only be held by appointment. You will be asked to complete an application form and return this to Adrian before the audition (download application form).
Auditions take place at the orchestra’s home, St Paul’s Community Centre in Wimbledon, usually on Sunday afternoons. At the audition you will be asked to play two contrasting pieces of music, unaccompanied. PLAYING FROM PHOTOCOPIED MUSIC IS NOT PERMITTED. You may also be asked to sight-read a piece or play some scales.
The audition will make an assessment of which orchestra is most suitable for your standard of playing, but as a general rule we suggest a minimum of Grade 6 for prospective members of the main orchestra, and Grade 3 for the training orchestra. This may vary according to the instrument you play. There is an annual re-audition for all members of both orchestras, based on an item from the orchestral repertoire for the year. This provides the opportunity to take account of musical progress and review the positioning of players in the orchestras.
A registered charity, the Orchestra is financed solely by players' membership subscriptions, and income from concert tickets, donations and fund raising. Details of current membership fees are available from Beverley Smith: b.starkey@btinternet.com. Financial assistance towards the cost of membership is available. No person who is musically eligible will be denied access to membership for financial reasons.
Financial assistance is something decided by the Finance Assistance Sub-Committee, for which applications should be made in the first instance to the Chairman, Julian Hardwick: julian_hardwick@hotmail.com.
Click here to find out more about the ethos, and aims and expectations once you join the orchestra.
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Where to find us: St. Paul's Community Centre Contact details: Adrian Brown, 0208 361 6771 All enquiries about the orchestra should be made by e-mail to the Chairman, Julian Hardwick: julian_hardwick@hotmail.com |