The re-opening of the magnificent baroque church of St Paul in Deptford, after four years of extensive restoration, enabled St Paul's Sinfonia to launch its inaugural concert season in December 2004, bringing live high-quality classical music to the cultural scene of Lewisham and beyond.
Conducted by Andrew Morley, St Paul's Sinfonia consists of experienced orchestral players from across London. We are the resident orchestra of St Paul's Church, and perform monthly concerts there. The Sinfonia draws its repertoire from a wide range of musical styles, from Baroque and Classical to Romantic and Modern, and aims to combine classics of the chamber orchestra repertoire with more unusual and challenging works.
This season we are focusing on the 'cello as a solo instrument, and during the seaons each member of the Sinfonia's regular 'cello section will be making a solo appearance with the orchestra. From Elgar to Shostakovich, Haydn to Tchaikovsky, there are concertos to please all lovers of this most romantic of instruments.
Another programming strand continuing this year is the Sinfonia's collaboration with the Camberwell Composers' Collective, four rising stars in British music today. Last year the orchestra premièred Christopher Mayo's Your future, ore smelter; better future, wharf spike, and this year we will be premièring three new works, by Mark Bowden, Emily Hall and Anna Meredith. We are all looking forward to the intensely exciting experience of playing music where the ink is still 'wet on the page'. The Sinfonia is very grateful to the PRSF for its support in commissioning these new works.
We are also welcoming several brilliant soloists from outside the orchestra. Marcus Andrews has already performed with the orchestra, giving an intense performance of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto two seasons ago; and now he returns with the iconic 'Emperor' concerto, in March. Recorder player Jill Kemp was a finalist in the Royal Overseas League competition this year, and will be playing the quirky concerto by David Bedford. Lastly, pianist Irina Lyakhovskaya, a graduate of Trinity College of Music who won the TCM concerto competition, will round off the season with the Schumann piano concerto.
We look forward to seeing you this season - it promises to be the best one yet!
