The RTWSO is a true all-rounder that brings different age groups together and engenders a sense of local pride
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra
The RTWSO is a true all-rounder that brings different age groups together and engenders a sense of local pride
When was the orchestra set up?
The RTWSO has a history of concerts dating back to 1922. The arts organisation is now in its 89th season and has been promoting concerts at the Assembly Hall in Tunbridge Wells since it opened in 1939.
Who plays in the orchestra?
It’s made up from a core group of talented, Kent-based musicians, whose ranks are augmented by some professional musicians. The RTWSO has an established team of conductors who contribute control, energy and fresh interpretations for the music making. Roderick Dunk is a regular on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night and conducts three concerts in the 2010/11 season, while Christopher Adey and Neil Thomson also take up the baton. Cynthia Fleming is the RTWSO’s leader, as well as being leader of the BBC Concert Orchestra.
How often do you meet?
Many of the 70-80 playing members attend four or five weekly rehearsals before each performance, simply for the social enjoyment of playing together, while some professionals are engaged on the day of a concert.
What events are coming up?
The RTWSO presents a new season of six concerts, which start on Sunday 3 October at the Assembly Hall. In the first concert, there’s a chance to hear Emmanuel Despax perform Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, which is packed full of irresistible tunes emerging spontaneously from an exuberant orchestral score to stunning effect.
Describe the music being played
Among UK orchestras, the RTWSO is a true all-rounder that performs a varied repertoire including familiar and some less familiar orchestral works. Next season, there’s a dazzling range of programmes offering a mix of 23 pieces by 17 famous composers from the classical charm of Mozart and Brahms to the more romantic sounds of Sibelius and beyond.
Can you pick one of the highlights?
Violinist Nicola Benedetti will be the soloist at two of the RTWSO events during the 2010/11 season. She made her BBC Proms debut earlier this year and has captivated audiences with her performances and poise since winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004. For her first appearance on 7 November, Benedetti will perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This well-balanced classical masterpiece is a supreme challenge for all violinists seeking to bring out the expressive tenderness and beauty of the music.
Do you give any family concerts?
The RTWSO has arranged a family-friendly concert on Sunday 5 December, which will include Saint-Saens’s musical menagerie, The Carnival of Animals. The music has become one of the best-loved pieces by the French Romantic through its portraits of the elephant, donkeys, fish, swan and other animals.
At the same concert, the RTWSO will give the world premiere of Scrooge, composed by Bryan Kelly. His new work for narrator and orchestra will comprise a mix of extracts from Charles Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol, together with colourful characterisations in the music. Kelly’s lighthearted piece will present some of the ghostly scenes from the well-loved tale, plus all the fun and merry-making of Mr Fezziwig’s Christmas Ball.
What’s the best thing about being part of RTWSO?
The orchestra is more than one of life’s simple pleasures, it’s a community organisation that regularly draws an audience of up to 900 people to the spa town. The RTWSO brings different age groups together and encourages a sense of local pride.
Get in touch
Assembly Hall Theatre
Crescent Road
Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU
Box office tel 01892 530613
Tickets from �10 (children �1)
www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
RTWSO: www.rtwso.org
