University of Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra

Last updated

The University of Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra (UCPO) is a British amateur orchestra and a student-run orchestra in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom.

Contents

UCPO is a non-audition orchestra. Membership is aimed primarily at members of the University of Cambridge, although the orchestra usually counts among its members a significant number of other residents of Cambridge. [1] Only conductors and soloists are auditioned.

The orchestra usually performs five concerts in each year. Three of these feature the full orchestra. [2] A further two are performed by a smaller group officially known as the 'University of Cambridge Philharmonia', informally known as 'Baby'. [3]

2015/16 repertoire included selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite danced by representatives of Cambridge University Ballet Club (as part of UCPO's inaugural 'Gala Concert'), Strauss' Fledermaus Overture, Elgar's 'Cello Concerto in E minor, Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Dvorak's Violin Concerto. [4] Previous repertoire is just as varied, and has included Brahms, Sibelius, Bizet, Shostakovich and Haydn.

History

UCPO was founded in the early 1990s as the West Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, WCSO.

The orchestra was started as an offshoot of Fitzwilliam College Music Society (FCMS), which provided grants to help fund the early years. Members were taken principally from Fitzwilliam, Churchill and New Hall colleges. In 1995, the orchestra broke its ties with Fitz and expanded, rehearsing in Peterhouse and taking musicians from any college. The original role of WCSO is now filled by The Orchestra on the Hill.

In the early years following the split from Fitz, WCSO was organised in a relatively informal way, regularly making a loss that was recouped each year by combining the Easter concert with a garden party and 'giving away' drinks to those guests who 'bought raffle tickets'. Each treasurer had to cover losses personally. This situation started to resolve from 1998 onwards, with the creation of a specific orchestral bank account and a greater emphasis on publicity.

After this, WCSO started to grow and change in character, with an increasingly formal committee structure, more ambitious programmes, and an increasing sense of professionalism. Rehearsals outgrew most college rehearsal rooms, and the Wesley Methodist Church was chosen as a venue from 1999. Throughout, the orchestra remained committed to the principle of having no auditions, and accepting anyone for whom there was a musical part.

An increasingly large membership brought new musical opportunities, but also new limits in which pieces could be attempted. Sectional pieces were introduced in an attempt to give everyone a chance to play, before the decision was made to start a chamber orchestra to increase the possible range. The West Cambridge Sinfonia, or 'Baby' as it quickly became known, has grown rapidly since its introduction.

In 2001, the orchestra moved to a new home at Selwyn College, rehearsing in the Selwyn Diamond.

At the start of 2002, and after a lively debate at the AGM, [5] the decision was made to change the name of the orchestra to UCPO. The principal argument was that the orchestra was no longer tied to West Cambridge physically.

UCPO's ties with Cambridge colleges ended in 2007, apart from the current rehearsal space for the Philharmonia, Queens' College, and some concert venues. Since October 2007, the main orchestra has rehearsed at St Giles' Church. [6]

Related Research Articles

Orchestra Large instrumental ensemble

An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families, including

London Symphony Orchestra British symphony orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was set up by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orchestra because of a new rule requiring players to give the orchestra their exclusive services. The LSO itself later introduced a similar rule for its members. From the outset the LSO was organised on co-operative lines, with all players sharing the profits at the end of each season. This practice continued for the orchestra's first four decades.

Philharmonia Orchestra British Orchestra based in London

The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Arturo Toscanini; of the Philharmonia's younger conductors, the most important to its development was Herbert von Karajan who, though never formally chief conductor, was closely associated with the orchestra in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Philharmonia became widely regarded as the finest of London's five symphony orchestras in its first two decades.

Otto Klemperer German conductor and composer

Otto Nossan Klemperer was a German-born orchestral conductor and composer, described as "the last of the few really great conductors of his generation."

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra based in London

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British orchestra based in London.

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge College of the University of Cambridge

Fitzwilliam College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

Rehearsal

A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure that all details of the subsequent performance are adequately prepared and coordinated. The term rehearsal typically refers to ensemble activities undertaken by a group of people. For example, when a musician is preparing a piano concerto in their music studio, this is called practising, but when they practice it with an orchestra, this is called a rehearsal. The music rehearsal takes place in a music rehearsal space.

Queensland Youth Orchestras (QYO) is one of the state's organisation for orchestral training and performance and is based at the Old Museum building in Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

The San Jose Youth Symphony (SJYS) is a non-profit youth orchestra located in San Jose, California.

The National Youth Orchestras of Scotland (NYOS) caters for students aged between 8 and 25, through orchestras, jazz bands, training ensembles and outreach programmes.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia’s largest choral organisation. It presents its own annual concert series in the Sydney Opera House the City Recital Hall, and other venues in New South Wales, as well as serving as chorus for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra (CRSO) is one of the main amateur orchestras in north Kent, England. It was formed in 1969. The orchestra's Music Director is conductor and former trombonist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Peter Bassano. The CRSO has 60 playing members, both amateur and professional musicians, who perform concerts at The Central Theatre, Chatham, and other venues in Kent. Recent concerts include a joint performance with Rochester Choral Society in Rochester Cathedral, with a programme that included Brahms's Schicksalslied and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The CRSO also includes chamber groups — notably the piano quintet City of Rochester Chamber Ensemble – which perform throughout Kent.

Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Musical artist

The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) is a group of youth orchestras in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Founded in 1972, GTCYS has served over 16,000 musicians and put on more than 500 concerts. The top orchestra has also traveled on 12 national and international tours. GTCYS currently features 10 orchestras for young musicians any age through high school.

The National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain, more commonly known as NCO, is a registered charity which provides orchestral training for children aged 7 to 14. The organisation comprises five age-banded orchestras and six regional orchestras. Entry is by audition and every year approximately 500 young musicians are selected to play in the orchestras. It offers a life-changing experience to talented young musicians.

New World Youth Orchestras

New World Youth Orchestras is an organization in Indianapolis, Indiana that exists "to develop the musical talent and nurture the personal growth of young people in Indianapolis and central Indiana through the rehearsal and performance of orchestral masterworks, both traditional and contemporary." The New World Youth Orchestras was founded by Susan Kitterman in 1982 and currently consists of three separate orchestras:

The Windsor Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra located in Windsor, Ontario. The orchestra performs in South Western Ontario, playing both classical and popular music.

Herbert Menges OBE was an English conductor and composer, who wrote incidental music to all of Shakespeare's plays.

Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) is a group of 100 young musicians, selected from over 45 cities across Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra was the first, and for many years the only, symphony orchestra in the United States formally chartered upon inception to represent and serve the gay/lesbian community. Founded in 1992 by the late Kevin Ford, it is headquartered in Minneapolis and performs at Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul. Its current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor is Dr. Brian Edward Dowdy.

Beethoven concert of 22 December 1808 Benefit concert held for Ludwig van Beethoven in Vienna, Austria

The Beethoven concert of 22 December 1808 was a benefit concert held for Ludwig van Beethoven at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna that featured the public premieres of Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto and the Choral Fantasy. This concert, then called an Akademie, occurred in a very cold hall and lasted for approximately four hours. Its featured performers were an orchestra, chorus, vocal soloists, and the composer was featured as soloist at the piano. Beethoven biographer Barry Cooper refers to the concert, in terms of its content, as the "most remarkable" of Beethoven's career.

References

  1. ↑ "Joining UCPO" . Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  2. ↑ "UCPO website" . Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  3. ↑ "UCPO Baby" . Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  4. ↑ "UCPO Concert History" . Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  5. ↑ "Minutes of the WCSO AGM 2002" . Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  6. ↑ "UCPO History" . Retrieved 2010-01-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.