The North Cheshire Wind Orchestra (NCWO) is a symphonic wind orchestra based in Warrington, England.
Warrington is a large town and unitary authority area in Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey, 20 miles (32 km) east of Liverpool, and 20 miles (32 km) west of Manchester. The population in 2017 was estimated at 209,700, more than double that of 1968 when it became a New Town. Warrington is the largest town in the county of Cheshire.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The membership of around 40 players is drawn from throughout the North West of England, many of whom travel considerable distances to rehearsals. Whilst a number of members make their living from music, the group is essentially non-professional.
Over the last 5 years the NCWO has developed to the point where it is now regarded as one of the finest ensembles of its type in the UK. In April 2006 the NCWO was honoured to give the European premiere of Daron Hagen's opera Bandanna, along with soloists from the Royal Northern College of Music and the Manchester Chamber Choir, in the presence of the composer.
Daron Aric Hagen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is an American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, librettist, and stage director of contemporary classical music and opera.
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is one of the leading conservatoires in the world, located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education, RNCM is one of the UK's busiest and most diverse public performance venues.
The NCWO are affiliated to the British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles (BASBWE) and play a prominent part in its activities. This has included performances at the annual International Wind Festival at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in 1999 and 2002, and regular success in the National Concert Band Festival at both regional and national level, including consecutive Gold Awards at the 2004 and 2005 National finals. The NCWO is also a member of Making Music - the National Federation of Music Societies.
The British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles is an organisation that represents symphonic bands and wind ensembles, also known as concert bands, in the UK.
In November 2002 the orchestra performed at the opening celebrations for Pyramid, Warrington’s new arts centre. The concert included the premiere of a new work commissioned for the occasion by the Irish composer, Fergal Carroll. In October 2003 the NCWO launched a concert season at Pyramid which has established a regular base for the orchestra.
The Parr Hall is the only surviving professional concert hall venue in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
A wide range of music is performed by the group, although there is a particular commitment to music written for the modern wind orchestra in the past 30 years. The organisation is now noted for its adventurous programming and has taken part in several commissioning projects.
This interest in commissioning and performing new music was an important factor in the decision of the Arts Council of England in May 2000 to award the NCWO over £21,000 of National Lottery funding towards the purchase of new instruments.
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom.
A concert band, also called wind ensemble, symphonic band, wind symphony, wind orchestra, wind band, symphonic winds, symphony band, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families of instruments, and occasionally including the double bass or bass guitar. On rare occasions, additional non-traditional instruments may be added to such ensembles such as piano, harp, synthesizer, or electric guitar.
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