(covid-careful)
If you enjoy classical music...
If you play violin, viola, cello or double bass,
or wish you did, or used to & would like to again...
If you think it's a good idea to avoid catching covid -
or you don't care on your own account, but you believe in supporting the people who need to be careful...
Then this might be the orchestra for you!
"Keep me updated" form for players & interested people
For adult learners from Grade "zero-never-even-started" upwards. Beginners and "rusty" players welcome. No minimum musical standard!
Music with simple parts for beginners, more intricate parts for experienced players. More about the musical plans.
"Covid-careful" environment. Comfortable FFP3 masks while indoors for rehearsals; good ventilation; air quality monitored, and we'll pause rehearsals over the colder season if/when air quality can't be maintained. More about the covid science.
Physical access: Step-free entry, wheelchair-accessible toilet, adjacent free parking, nearby frequent bus route.
"Evening class" style, initially a week-day evening.
Cost likely around £7 per session, booked per series, with discounts for people on benefits or low wages.
Designed to ensure that beginners can "find their feet" - but players at any level welcome if you feel the orchestra would suit you, e.g. if you want somewhere more covid-safe than average, or you're out of practice, or trying a new instrument, or you just like the idea of it :-)
The big question is, would there be enough players who want it -
in the short term - so as to be able to pay for the venue, and still have money left over to make it worth my while to do the writing/arranging/conducting?
in the longer term as the orchestra grows - so that some players could comfortably pick up small shares of welcoming, admin, publicity etc?
(Most amateur orchestras have a committee, although I would get it started without that. More about the practical organising.)
Right now, this is the "Kickstarter-ish" kind of stage, where we need to leap over the financial unviability of having 3 players in a hall that costs money :-) My initial aim is to find about 24 players to get started. How soon it's feasible to launch will depend on how quickly those people turn up.
[Update, May 2023: so far the list of interested people includes 13 violins, 2 violas, 4 cellos and 2 basses! If all those people could actually come on the same evening, we'd be pretty much ready to start :-) In reality that isn't how event organising ever works, but it shows the enthusiasm is there, yay, and now we probably just need to find about the same number of people again. Also, a few people have asked about adding an afternoon group in due course, which I'm considering.]
If you're interested - either for yourself or for someone else, for now or maybe for later - then please drop your details here:
"Keep me updated" form for players & interested people
And please tell your friends :-)
(for people who like knowing the details - no need to read this if you know enough already :-) )
"Covid-careful" - what does it mean?
More about the practical organising
Update: The venue