CONCERT SEASON 2010-11

Our 2010-11 season has a very different theme from our previous two seasons, both of which have concentrated on the orchestral music of Beethoven. The theme for this season has been inspired by two different events: firstly, our Composer in Residence for this season is Stuart Hancock, who is a highly-regarded film composer (he wrote the score for the documentary on the 1990 World Cup, One Night in Turin, which was released to acclaim in May 2010); and secondly, 2011 marks the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest film composers of all time. Bernard Herrmann, born in 1911, wrote the scores for Vertigo, Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane, and Psycho, amongst many other, and his genius continues to influence film composers to this day.

These two facts helped us to clarify much of our programme decision-making. The Sinfonia's 2010-11 season contains a tribute to Herrmann and several pieces by Stuart Hancock, including a FILM SPECIAL concert in May when we will be showing two classic silent films with scores by Stuart - the Frank Borzage romance Lucky Star, and a brand new score to the Buster Keaton silent comedy One Week. There are also several classical works probably best known through their use in films, including the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony and the Barber Adagio; and works by British composers who are best known for film scores (Benjamin Frankel and Alan Rawsthorne).

On top of all this film-related music, you can also expect the eclectic mix of the old and the new, the well-known and the unfamiliar, the creative and inspiring programming on which St Paul's Sinfonia prides itself. We continue our exploration of the music of Sibelius; soloists from within the orchestra take on the best-loved violin concertos in the repertoire (by Bruch and Mendelssohn); after last season's triumphant Good Friday performance of Messiah with the Serlo Consort, they return for Bach's St John's Passion; and we are honoured to welcome the international virtuoso Anatole Liebermann for the world premiere of Elena Firsova's Cello Concerto No. 4. Finally, we mark the centenary of Mahler's death with the sublime Fourth Symphony in our June concert.

Tickets for all our concerts are available on the door from 7.00 p.m. on the day of the concert - we hope to see you there in October for the opening concert of our season!