A40 Concert Orchestra

General Information

If you would like a high quality professional orchestra whose members have played or still are playing with the major national UK orchestras or go on to do so, the A40 Concert Orchestra under dynamic conductor David Meacock will give you a concert to remember at a highly competitive cost
The A40 Concert Orchestra is now a fully professional orchestra, which in 2001 grew out of the semi-professional A40 Orchestra (formed in 1992)
First concert on 17 November 2001 with the A40 Choir - included Walton Crown Imperial and Saint-Saëns 'Organ' Symphony No. 3.
Repertoire: mainly core classics with occasional forays into approachable side-roads.
Past repertoire has included all Beethoven Symphonies, Bizet in C, Brahms 3 & 4, Dvorak 7 & 8, Schubert Tragic & Unfinished, Tchaikovsky 4 & Pathétique. Other works have included Delius miniatures, Liszt Les Préludes, Mussorgsky A Night on a Bare Mountain, Rachmaninoff Vocalise, Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin, Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite, most of the well known Violin & Piano Concertos and Elgar 'Cello Concerto.
The semi-professional A40 Orchestra shared nearly £5K worth of National Lottery award with the A40 Choir in 1997-98 season.
Concerts are promoted when adequate local business sponsorship enables reasonable ticket prices.
Make contact for further details via contact page.

Brief History

The A40 Concert Orchestra is a new fully professional orchestra which has grown out of the professional element of the successful semi-professional A40 Orchestra. The A40 Concert Orchestra gave its first concert with the A40 Choir on 17 November 2001 in High Wycombe Parish Church. Its first concert ranging from the Baroque to 20th Century items - on its own - took place on 20 April 2002 in the Wycombe Town Hall part of the Wycombe Swan Theatre arts complex. A year later the next concert sold out a week in advance. The A40 Concert Orchestra then went on to win a national award from the Musical Instruments section of the Cornhill Allianz Insurance Company for its innovative idea of introducing youngsters to 'live' classical music by doing two performances of Prokofiev's highly entertaining and well-known musical story Peter and the Wolf: a special matinee performance for youngsters too young to come to the evening performance at 2:30 p.m., and then an evening performance alongside extracts of other evergreens such as the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (the one that opens de-de-de-dah, de-de-de-dah!).

The semi-professional A40 Orchestra was formed in 1992, and had its initial rehearsals and first concert in St. James' Church Hall, Gerrards Cross, next to the A40 road - hence the name. In 1993, it moved to the Main Lecture Theatre of Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College Newland Park Campus, Chalfont St. Giles, where it averaged gave three concerts per season. Weekly rehearsals were elsewhere on the Campus. In 1997-98 the A40 Orchestra combined with the A40 Choir - in High Wycombe - to perform Beethoven Choral Symphony with the little known Liszt Psalm 13, and Haydn The Creation as part of the season's National Lottery funded series of concerts. The A40 Orchestra and the A40 Concert Orchestra have run a number of successful National Concerto competitions which have been featured in national music press - Classical Music and ISM Music Journal. In October 1999, along with the A40 Choir, the A40 Orchestra was featured as the Classic FM 'Team of the Week'. Southern Arts assessors more than once said that the A40 Orchestra was among the best in the whole of the Southern Region, and also commented favourable on successful integration of amateurs and professionals.

Large Piano concertos are performed by David Meacock on a hired Model D Concert Grand Steinway, usually with a guest conductor for the item, while smaller ones are directed from the piano.

Future Concerts

The next concert, subject to adequate funding, will be with the new London A40 Choir on Saturday 17 November. See the London A40 Choir page for further details, including ticket ordering form.

For others, watch this space, or make it happen with your company's support!

For further details, please contact the A40 Concert Orchestra via contact page