Sussex Symphony Orchestra Chamber Orchestra launches

A new venture for the Brighton-based Sussex Symphony Orchestra sees the creation of the Sussex Symphony Orchestra Chamber Orchestra.

They will be offering An Evening of Orchestral Favourites on Saturday, September 19 at 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield, conducted by Sophia Bartlette, when the programme will be: Mozart – Overture to The Marriage of Figaro; Ravel – Pavane pour une infante défunte; Holst – St Paul's Suite; Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite – Morning, Anitra's Dance and Åse's Death; and Haydn – Symphony No. 94 in G major, The Surprise. Tickets £15 on https://cuckfieldandbolneybenefice.churchsuite.com/events/osurdwox

Sophia, who is Sussex Symphony Orchestra’s leader, is excited at the prospect: “The idea is to develop a new strand for Sussex Symphony Orchestra to take us into new and different venues and also so that we can explore different repertoire as well. We would like to be going more around East Sussex but when you've got the big force it's difficult to get to do new venues. And it's also good to explore the chamber playing techniques.”

Usually, the full orchestra would be 100-plus. The chamber orchestra will be around half that number: “We are concentrating on repertoire that is accessible but also including bits and pieces that people might not have heard before. With the chamber orchestra you are much more exposed. It has a chamber music feel. With the big orchestra you can get lost in the big sound but with chamber music you have to listen more to everyone and it just has a bit more of a soloistic vibe to the whole thing.

“I hope that we will do a couple of concerts during the season. We are starting in September and hoping to build it up and, as I say, just to take concerts further afield and to establish ourselves elsewhere in East Sussex.

“We offered it to any of the players that would like to get involved and we had great numbers that were interested. It's something that's really exciting to do especially with the different repertoire and to be going to different places.

“I lead the orchestra normally but I am on board to conduct it. I love the sense of community you get with the orchestra. It's a really diverse and interesting group of people. You've got core members but you’ve also got a lot of people that come in and out, that have been to university here or maybe have got jobs here. You have got professionals and you've got amateurs and it's just a wonderful amalgamation of different people that come together to play. And it's great because it's people that really want to do it. They're really excited about the music that they make and that they love making. I just think it's marvellous. It has just got such a lovely feel to it.”