The Planets Workshop – An Out Of This World Success at St. Mary’s Church, Chepstow.

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Published on: September 26, 2024

On the 7th September 2024, there was a wonderful workshop celebrating Holst’s ‘The Planet Suite’. The venue was the Norman church of St. Mary’s in Chepstow. The event was organised by Fiona Crawley, Director of the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra. It was extremely well attended!

Thomas Payne who is based now in London ran the rehearsals and then conducted the concert. Thomas conducted the orchestra for a few years before moving onto the ‘Big Smoke’. It must have been quite an undertaking as nearly every instrument is represented at some point in the piece working with 75 players with eclectic playing skills. Leading the orchestra was Marie Roberts who has played solo pieces with the orchestra in the past.

The Planets Suite is one of the great classics of the orchestral world and has been played by the orchestra on a couple of occasions. The last movement, Neptune, requires a full choir to sing the very mystical ‘out of this world’ melody.  This sound was provided by members of the Gloucester Choral Society and Chepstow Chatelaine.  A great day for all and one to be remembered!

Thomas Payne conducts-credit Forest Review

 

 

Summer Concert ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ (13th July 2024)

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Published on: May 30, 2024

Summer Concert  – On the Nature of Daylight- a Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra concert on the 13th July 2024 

The concert starts at 7.30 p.m.

The RFODO will be performing at  St. Paul’s Church, Parkend. Gloucestershire. GL15 4HL

 

Bill Anderton:  ‘La Folia’ – a new commission.

Max Richter: On The Nature Of Daylight

Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat Major KV 447 with our soloist Lydia Taylor.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor. Op. 67

Conductor: Fiona Crawley

Leader: Ros Taunton

 

Tickets at the door – £10  (free for children and for students in full time education and for Ukrainian guests).

Programme – £1

Retiring collection: Parkend Primary School library fund.

 

Dates to note:

07/09/24 The Planets workshop in St Mary’s Chepstow

30/11/24. Small group at Ross. Similar to last year. More details to follow

14/12/24. Winter concert. Details tbc

Lydia Taylor -Our soloist for the Summer Concert 2024

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Published on: May 30, 2024
Lydia Taylor
Lydia Taylor

 

We are delighted to welcome Lydia Taylor back, joining the RFDO as soloist for our 2024 Summer concert at St. Paul’s Church, Parkend, performing Mozart’s Horn Concerto No.3.

 

Originally from Bridgnorth, Lydia Taylor MEP BMus (Hons) DipABRSM has recently finished studying for a Master’s in Educational Practice at Birmingham City University, receiving a distinction for her practice-based research supervised by the leading music education researcher, Dr Ian Axtell.

She graduated with a first-class degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in July 2019, earning the Agnes Jones memorial Award for Brass.

Lydia won the Linda Mowat Solo Brass Prize in 2018 alongside achieving her ABSRM teaching diploma in French horn. 

She has performed as principal horn with the Royal Welsh Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain and the CBSO Youth Orchestra in the Symphony Hall, Birmingham. After becoming a Leverhulme Arts Scholar in 2018, Lydia performed with the Royal Welsh Brass Ensemble for HRH King Charles, Women of the World Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall and made her TV debut with S4C at Christmas, as part of a brass quintet. In 2019, Lydia played with the Welsh National Opera in their production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. 

 

Lydia is currently Head of Music at John Kyrle High School in Ross-on-Wye, alongside teaching brass privately in Herefordshire.

Spring Concert (20th April 2024)

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Published on: January 4, 2024

Spring Concert – a Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra concert on the 20th April 2024 

The concert starts at 7.30 p.m.

The RFODO will be performing at  St. Peter’s Church, Newnham-On-Severn. Gloucestershire.

 

Lili Boulanger: D’un Matin de Printemps

Edward Elgar: Serenade for Strings Op. 20

Aaron Copland: Quiet City for Trumpet, English Horn and strings – Soloists: Anne Holder (English Horn) and Alan Holder (trumpet).

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor. Op. 98

Conductors: Fiona Crawley

Leader: Ros Taunton

 

Tickets at the door – £10 (free if in full time education and for Ukrainian guests).

Includes programme

Retiring collection: Toucan For Children

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Important Dates

Saturday 7th September 2024. The Planets by Gustav Holst, 10am St, Mary’s Priory Church, Chepstow. NP16 5HA. Orchestral workshop day. Free for observers throughout the day.

Saturday 14th December 2024. Christmas concert, “Northern Lights”. Music by Sibelius and Rautavaara.

Saturday 12th April 2025. Spring Concert – Newnham Church. Music by Skempton, Ravel, Dvorak

Saturday 5th July 2025. Carmen at St, Mary’s Church Chepstow. Soloists from RWCMD and new libretto by Euan Tait.

Saturday  12th July 2025. Summer Concert – Parkend Church.

Saturday 5th December 2025. Christmas and Winter Concert – Coleford Baptist Church.

 

Easy Fundraising

Please help support the RFDO by doing all your on-line shopping via Easy Fundraising. Its an easy way to raise money for the orchestra if you shop online for anything from groceries to holidays and it wont cost you a penny more!

To start shopping and raising money, follow this link and search for “Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra”: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/

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Welcome , today is Monday, October 7, 2024