ABOUT ST GILES ORCHESTRA
HISTORY & AIMS
St Giles Orchestra was founded in 1980, and takes its name from the street in Oxford where our first enthusiastic members met.
The orchestra has developed over the years to its current size of around 35 members at weekly rehearsals and up to 50 (or sometimes more!) players at concerts.
St Giles Orchestra aims to give enjoyment to players and audiences by performing classical music to high standards in a non-pressured, friendly environment. We also take pride in selecting repertoire that will keep our players motivated and create varied and interesting concert programmes for our audiences.
REPERTOIRE & PROGRAMMING
Our concert programmes are generated by asking our players which pieces they would like to perform. These suggestions are then themed and balanced to make enjoyable concert programmes for audiences and players alike. We try to ensure that each programme includes some technically demanding works, with the intention of stretching and retaining advanced players.
SGO has developed a reputation for fine performances in particular of the romantic repertoire. We are also keen to support local unpublished composers by including their works in our programmes.
CONCERTS
We usually give four public concerts per year. Our concerts are at St Andrew's Church, Linton Road, Oxford. St Andrew's has a pleasingly resonant acoustic, and players and audiences particularly appreciate its warmth in winter and the expansive hospitality area used for socialising during interval refreshments. Occasionally we give larger concerts in other venues such as Oxford Town Hall and the Sheldonian Theatre.
CONDUCTORS & LEADER
Each year, one or more people are invited to be conductor(s) of St Giles Orchestra by our elected committee.
If you are interested in conducting our orchestra, then please get in touch.
SOLOISTS
Soloists are drawn from a wide range of players and singers, from local amateurs to music students and established professionals. We are especially keen to provide concerto opportunities to young professionals.
If you are interested in working with us as a soloist, please visit our soloists page.
FINANCES
St Giles Orchestra is a Registered Charity number 1109439. SGO is funded principally by member subscriptions and by concert ticket sales. We ask members to pay their subscriptions by Gift Aid so that we can recover tax from HM Revenue and Customs. We also boost our finances by seeking support from friends, patrons, benefactors and corporate sponsors.