
Richmond Chamber Orchestra
North Yorkshire's pocket-sized orchestra
Director Philippa Mo
Richmond Chamber Orchestra
North Yorkshire's pocket-sized orchestra
Director Philippa Mo
The Richmond Chamber Orchestra is the new orchestra for North Yorkshire. It is based in Richmond, and brings together the best musicians in the area. Professionals, semi-professionals and outstanding amateurs from Newcastle to Ripon, Redcar to Sedbergh. Our director Philippa Mo is based in London, and has played and toured throughout the world.
The RCO is small, generally 20 players, and its repertoire includes all styles of music from Arcangelo Corelli to Anna Clyne. Being a pocket-sized orchestra that fits in anywhere and plays anywhere, we can make live music accessible by bringing it close to people. Find a space and the RCO will fill it with music performed by some of the best musicians in the area.
We offer a platform to outstanding young players as soloists or members. Currently this is a string ensemble, also featuring harpsichord, harp, and soloists on any instruments.
Philippa Mo
(photo Guy Carpenter)
Philippa Mo has directed two of our first three concerts, and we are delighted to say that she will be continuing to work with us in 2025. Follow the link to her website to find out more about her.
Explore the site to find out more.
Welcome to the RCO!
SUNDAY APRIL 6th at 3.OOpm in the GEORGIAN THEATRE ROYAL, RICHMOND
NORTHERN LIGHTS
We celebrate our first anniversary where we started in 2024, in the Georgian Theatre, Richmond. Northern Lights is also a celebration, of the music of Northern Europe. There are some popular favourites, some less familiar pieces. All of them are sparkling, surprising and vibrant.
Arvo Pärt (Estonia) Fratres (version for solo violin and strings)
Carl Nielsen (Denmark) Suite for Strings
Jean Sibelius (Finland). Romance in C
Edvard Grieg (Norway) 2 Nordic Melodies
Tchaikovsky (Ukraine) Serenade for Strings
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are ONLY available from the Georgian Theatre, Richmond.
Click here to go the theatre website
https://www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk
Before that....
SATURDAY MARCH 15th at 7.30pm in st MARY'S CHURCH, RICHMOND
MUSICAL LANDSCAPES
We are excited about this concert of music by local composers, as well as one or two of our own favourites. Organised by Richmond composer Fionagh Bennett, the first half of the programme includes her Hjärtland Suite for orchestra and singers, and an array of shorter pieces for voice, saxophone, flute, violin and piano.
The second half includes music by Mark Harrison, another Richmond composer. The Richmond Clarinet Quartet play 2 movements from his Dance Suite, and Elspeth Raitt is soloist in his Concertino for Oboe and Strings.
Stephen Boyd, Director of Music at Richmond School, conducts.
Finally the RCO perform Holst's sparkling St Paul's Suite, and Grieg's exquisite Vären, a taster of our April 6th concert.
Click here for tickets
And then...
SUNDAY JULY 13th in St ANDREW'S CHURCH, AYSGARTH
SUMMER CONCERT
A fabulous programme of some of the greatest music written for the string orchestra. Aysgarth is one of the loveliest churches in Wensleydale. Why not make a day of it? Bring a picnic or sample one of the nearby pubs! Tickets already on sale (see below).
J.S.Bach Violin Concerto in E major
Soloist Philippa Mo
Leos Janacek Idyll Suite
Edward Elgar Introduction and Allegro
Samuel Barber Adagio
Philippa Mo rehearsing in the Georgian Theatre
01/23
March 3rd 2024 in the Georgian Theatre, Richmond
Corelli Concerto Grosso Opus 6 No. 2
Mozart Piano Concerto in A major K414
Grieg Holberg Suite Opus 40
Janacek Suite for String Orchestra
'It was rather like having an orchestra playing to you in your front room!' Audience member.
'Very impressed...thoroughly enjoyed it.' Audience members, by email.
'The players soon showed their strengths, especially in the second half. They were clearly enjoying themselves!' Richmondshire Today.
June 30th 2024 in Grinton Church, Swaledale
Bach Brandenburg Concerto #3
Elgar Serenade for Strings
Tabakova Suite in Old Style
Vivaldi Summer from Four Seasons
Finzi Romance
Vaughan Williams Dives & Lazarus
Read Will Stephens' review in Richmondshire Today.
I hadn’t heard of the Richmond Chamber Orchestra until June 30th, when a Dales friend persuaded me to go and hear them. After their Summer Concert in Grinton Church I’m very pleased I have now. It really was a perfect programme for a summer’s day, cheerful and bright, accomplished and with lots of variety. The RCO seems to be a rather unique ensemble, with a superb professional violinist, Philippa Mo, in charge, and a mix of professional players, semi-pros, and gifted amateurs. It all makes for infectious enthusiasm and a strong rich sound. A string orchestra with additional harpsichord, tambourine, bass drum and harp really is a bit unusual too!
They played Bach, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Vivaldi (‘Summer’ from the Four Seasons of course) and a piece no one seemed to know, Suite in Old Time by Dobrinka Tabakova. The viola player Alyssa Moskowitz delivered a virtuoso solo part passionately, and the piece was a great discovery, with mysterious sounds and beautiful harmonies. Philippa Mo’s interpretation of Summer was fast and furious: her bow was a blur, and she had the orchestra clinging on for dear life! Italian summers aren’t quite the same as Yorkshire ones, with people overcome by the heat and flies, thunderstorms and gales. The Vaughan Williams variations on the well-known folk and hymn tune Dives and Lazarus was another magical piece unknown to me, with harp and shimmering strings. The most English piece had to be the Elgar Serenade for Strings, one of my favourites, and the orchestra got the variety of moods just right.
All in all the RCO was a discovery for me, and apparently for quite a few of the large enthusiastic audience. If you want top class music-making and a great mixture of familiar classics and new discoveries, go and hear them.
July 21st 2024 in the magical St Mary's Church, Wycliffe (near Barnard Castle).
The programme was of English music from its rich late 19th and early 20th century period, from Elgar to the precocious Benjamin Britten.
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves
Warlock Capriol Suite
Elgar Serenade for Strings
Holst St Paul’s Suite
Britten Simple Symphony
Vaughan Williams Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Presented in association with The Friends of the Bowes Museum, it was our first 'mini-concert', designed to suit a specific venue. With room in the church for only 9 players and a harpist, we made music written for larger forces work in a refreshing and immediate way. 'Mini-concerts' are something we will be developing. If you have a small space you'd like to put on a concert in, get in touch.
A few audience responses.
'We thoroughly enjoyed it: the choice of music perfectly complemented the special ambience of St Mary's. Everyone we spoke to commented on it being a really special afternoon.'
'Enormously enjoyable. After three curtain calls the orchestra was finally allowed to leave, such was the appreciation!'
Join our mailing list to keep in touch with developments and future concerts.
We promise only to send you the occasional email about our own activities.
If you would like to support us as an Associate of the orchestra (ARCO), see below, and don't hesitate to contact us to discuss it.
The photo above shows the end of our June 30th concert in Grinton Church. A fabulous venue and a large enthusiastic audience. We can present concerts like this partly because of the generosity of our supporters. We are immensely grateful to Richmond Town Council and the Abstract Group of Companies for supporting us, and to our ARCOs, who as you will see below, contribute to our activities. We need more of them. Find out below how you could contribute. If you think that our aims are worthy of support, being one of our Associates will be a rewarding experience. You will know that you are helping us to encourage young players, to bring music to people who may not often hear live classical music, and to champion living composers as often as we can. (String players will know that arco means playing with the bow as opposed to pizzicato!).
Associates will be closely involved with the orchestra. You can come to a rehearsal, meet the players, meet the soloists, invite us to play for an event of your own. Get updates (no spams), prior booking for concerts (useful if we are playing in a small venue), and an annual social event at one of our concerts. Your contribution will be acknowledged in our concert programmes, unless you would rather remain anonymous.
Becoming an ARCO costs £25.00 a year, £35.00 for a couple.
Please email us from the mailing list link below. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
If you are involved with a business and would like it to be associated with the Arts, you can become a Business Associate. In return for your support your business will be acknowledged in everything that we do: online on our site and on social media, in publicity and in concert programmes. You and a colleague or partner will also be welcome to the Associates' benefits as outlined above.
Please email us from the mailing list link above. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Becoming a Business Associate costs £35.00.
One of the USPs of the RCO is to offer a platform to outstanding young players, as soloists or members of the orchestra.
Morvern Scrivener, the soloist in our opening concert, is the first. We are looking for the next one! Get in touch, or ask your teacher to contact us, and we'll see what we can do.
Photo of Morvern Scrivener in rehearsal for the March 3rd concert. (photo David Francis)
No, we can't offer you a job, not yet at any rate! But we can help you understand how to stage a concert, the most effective way to present your publicity, contacting artists, organising orchestral parts, what a concert day requires, and so on.
Promoting events via Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites is crucial to success. If you think you'd be good at it and want to learn how to choose and manage material for different audiences, get in touch.
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