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  • Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra (photo: Phil Harrison)
  • Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra (photo: Phil Harrison)
  • Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra (photo: Phil Harrison)
  • Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra (photo: Phil Harrison)
  • Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra (photo: Phil Harrison)

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Sibelius’s suite is inspired by the rough-hewn folk music of Karelia, which straddles what is now the border between Finland and Russia. A few kilometres south of Karelia lies St. Petersburg, from whose conservatoire Tchaikovsky graduated in 1865. Though he composed this violin concerto some 13 years later in Switzerland, it’s a romantic thought that he might have taken inspiration from the landscapes to the north. It is one of the most popular in the canon, and we are delighted that we have Gloucestershire Young Musician 2023, Isaac Williams, to perform it. Sibelius’s monumental fifth symphony is vast in scope, and Sibelius himself felt that he was taking direction from heaven while writing it. Nevertheless, he wanted it to be down-to-earth and vivid. The huge last movement evokes a vast, epic Landscape.

Concert Dates 2024-2025

  • October
  • December
  • February
  • March
  • May
  • June

  • Saturday 19 October 2024, 7.30pm

    Cheltenham Town Hall GL50 1QA

    Conductor, David Curtis

    The Planets

    celebrating Holst's 150th birthday

    Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

    Holst: Folk Songs from Somerset

    Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

    Holst: The Planets

    Information & Tickets

  • Saturday 7 December 2024, 7.30pm

    Pittville Pump Room, GL52 3JE

    Conductor, David Curtis

    Michael Foyle, violin

    A Concerto for Christmas

    Sibelius: Finlandia

    Philip Cashian: Violin Concerto World Premiere

    Beethoven: Romance

    Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker suite

    Hely-Hutchinson: Carol Symphony

    Information & Tickets

  • Saturday 1 February 2025, 7.30pm

    Pittville Pump Room, GL52 3JE

    Conductor, David Curtis

    Raphael Wallfisch, cello

    Jack Liebeck, violin

    Peerless Partners

    Rossini: Overture The Thieving Magpie

    Schumann: Symphony no.4

    Brahms: Double Concerto

    Information & Tickets

  • Saturday 22 March 2025, 7.30pm

    Pittville Pump Room, GL52 3JE

    Conductor, David Curtis

    Hannah Fraser-Mackenzie, soprano

    The Wild Romantic

    R. Strauss: Don Juan

    R. Strauss: Four Last Songs

    Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 3, Scottish

    Information & Tickets

  • Saturday 17 May 2025, 7.30pm

    Pittville Pump Room GL52 3JE

    Guest conductor, Michael Seal

    Alan Thomas, trumpet

    Dramatic Moments

    Tchaikovsky: Overture Romeo and Juliet

    Arutiunian: Trumpet Concerto

    Shostakovich: Symphony no. 15

    Information & Tickets

  • Saturday 28 June 2025, 7.30pm

    Pershore Abbey WR10 1BL

    Conductor, David Curtis

    Isaac Williams, violin

    (Glos young musician 2023)

    Epic Landscapes

    in support of FOAG

    Sibelius: Karelia suite

    Tchaikovsky: Violin concerto

    Sibelius, Symphony No. 5

    Information

We are an ensemble of committed and experienced amateur, student and professional musicians, playing under the expert guidance of conductor David Curtis. We play a huge variety of classical pieces throughout the year in various venues in and around Gloucestershire.

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Next concert

28 June, Pershore Abbey
Sibelius, Tchaikovsky
Image: Paul Kaye

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