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Ripon’s
remarkable St Cecilia Orchestra
began life as a small local ensemble, formed to accompany the Cathedral
Choir at their annual St Cecilia’s
Day Concert.
It has since developed into a community
orchestra par excellence, drawing on players from all walks of life
and providing opportunities for professional and amateur musicians,
teachers, students and talented schoolchildren to make music of
supreme quality.
"That a rural community can provide a capacity
audience is praiseworthy, that it can also provide most of an orchestra
of this size and quality is little short of miraculous."
Donald Webster in the Yorkshire Post
Since 1993, the orchestra has performed
336 different works by 106 composers at 198 Evening Concerts in
51 venues, including 52 St Cecilia
own promotions, 8 St Cecilia's Day
Concerts, 9 Christmas "Spectaculars",
120 Mowbray Orchestra performances, 11 "Specials" and
15 Cathedral services. Repertoire is wide and varied, ranging from
chamber works of Bach and Handel to exciting large-scale works such
as Janacek’s Sinfonietta, Holst’s Planet Suite, Richard
Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, Mahler’s Symphony No 1, Elgar's
Symphony No 1, Rachmaninov's Symphony No 2, and Shostakovich’s
Symphony No 5.
Most of the major concerts take place
in Ripon Cathedral and the orchestra cherishes its special relationship
with the Cathedral, regularly performing for services as well as
for the St Cecilia’s Day
Concerts.
"An evening that would have done justice to
the largest City concert hall …Ripon is indeed fortunate to
have a ‘resident orchestra’ of such calibre."
A highlight of recent years has
been the immensely successful, annual “Christmas Spectacular”
concert in Ripon Cathedral. Having produced this event for 8 years
and developed it into one of Ripon’s most popular community
events, St Cecilia Orchestra now participates in altenate years
- including 2010.
Audiences, and many of the players
too, are frequently amazed at the orchestra’s high standard
of performance. Its conductor Xenophon Kelsey, and all who support
him, are keen to maintain the orchestra’s power to enrich
the life of the community.
"…orchestral music making among the highest
calibre achievements in the country."
The orchestra is maintained and promoted
by the Ripon St Cecilia Society,
a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee and a registered
charity. Its voluntary board of directors consists of local musicians,
business people and others. Would you like to help?
For its income the orchestra depends
heavily on grants, sponsors and patrons. Are you, or perhaps your
organisation, able to offer this kind of valuable help? Above all,
the orchestra depends on those who buy tickets!
"…a performance whose overall standard
was beyond most non-professional British Orchestras."
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