The Wycombe Sinfonia Orchestra are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year with a series of live concerts performed at High Wycombe Parish Church.
The orchestra was established in 1985 by the conductor John Dunnett and then leader Pam Abbott; the current leader of the orchestra is Stephen Cossins. They have a varied programme, ranging from family concerts to themed events to the more traditional arrangement of overtures, concertos and symphonies. Soloists are often international artists but there are also opportunities for local, talented players to perform, making this a truly community orchestra.
To celebrate their 40th anniversary in style, the orchestra will be putting on a concert on Saturday 17 May from 7.30pm, with a programme ranging from Mendelssohn, Barber, Gounod and a concerto for two trumpets with soloists Alison Davidson and Alison Bell.
The concert is to be broadcast live by local radio station Wycombe Sound 106.6. During the evening Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison, who present the station’s weekly classical music show Classics Count, will be on hand to introduce the concert and interview musicians and audience members live on air.
Logos for Classics Count and Wycombe Sinfonia's 40th anniversary
Classics Count presenters Martin and Heather joined Wycombe Sound in September 2018, but have been presenting shows on community radio stations since 2010, first with the Blues Session and then with the Roots Collective; both shows won gold awards. In September 2023, they decided to change direction and follow their long-held love of classical music to present Classics Count every Sunday morning. Promoting live music is their passion; they have interviewed musicians, conductors, composers and artistic directors and are planning to invite guests to come into the studio to perform live.
Find out more about Wycombe Sinfonia Orchestra on their website and follow them on Facebook; find out more about their upcoming May live broadcast concert
Find out more about Classics Count on their website and follow them on Facebook; you can follow presenter Martin Clarke on X (Twitter)
