Richmond Chamber Orchestra
North Yorkshire's pocket-sized orchestra
Director Philippa Mo
Looking back to 2024
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
Solo Viola Alyssa Moskowitz, Harpsichord David Frances
Vivaldi Summer from Four Seasons
Solo violin Philippa Mo
Finzi Romance
Vaughan Williams 5 Variants of 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
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!'
Sunday April 6th in Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal
NORTHERN LIGHTS
We celebrated our first anniversary where we started in 2024, in the Georgian Theatre, Richmond. Northern Lights was also a celebration of the music of Northern Europe. There were some popular favourites, some less familiar pieces. All of them sparkling, surprising and vibrant, ranging from the thrilling Romanticism of Tchaikovsky's to the enigmatic beauty of Arvo Pärt's Fratres.
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 (Russia) Serenade for Strings
Join our mailing list
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.
ARCO: SUPPORTING THE RCO
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!).
Becoming an Associate of the Richmond Chamber Orchestra
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.
Business Associates
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.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE!
Finding a Platform
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)
Finding a Job
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.
Social Media
Social Media
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.