Welwyn Garden City Orchestra and Chorus

General information

Formed in the early days of Welwyn Garden City, we gave our first concert in the Cherry Tree in 1921. With a subscription of 5 shillings a year, we rehearsed at an army hut in the woods, where the council offices now stand. The Cherry Tree itself is now a Waitrose supermarket. Still going strong, we are the town‘s oldest society.

Today we put regular choral and orchestral concert in WGC and the surrounding area. We are welcome singers and orchestral musicians, as well as those who come to our concerts. Unusually we are both an orchestra and a choir, rehearsing separately but performing together. Our professionals are the Music Director, James Ross, who rehearses the orchestra and conducts, our Chorus Master, Crispin Lewis who rehearses the Chorus, and sometimes conducts, accompanist Barbara Manning and Leader, Christos Kokkinos.

We are proud to have as our President the world class violinist Andrew Watkinson. Leader of the Endellion String Quartet as well as a soloist, he has led or directed the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the London Sinfonietta. We are fortunate in having a President who plays an active part; Andrew performed Beethoven's Violin Concerto with us in 2008, and the Dvorák Violin Romance and Bartok's First Rhapsody in 2010. In 2012 Andrew helped us celebrate our 90th season by playing Bruch's first Violin Concerto on 24th March.