Southend Philharmonic Orchestra

Southend Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) began as the 'Southend on Sea Music Club Orchestra' in 1945 as part of the Music Club set up by the late Madam Freda Parry O.B.E.

In 1947 the name was changed to Southend Philharmonic Orchestra. Until 1968 all concerts were held on Sunday afternoons. The tradition of three concerts each year has been continued to the present day.

Programmes of past concerts

2007

Saturday 20th January at 7.30pm.
Eastwood School, Rayleigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea

Horn Concerto - Strauss - Soloist: Oliver Smith

Concerto in B minor for 4 violins - Vivaldi - Soloists: Elisa Bergersen, Lorraine Kelly, Anna Cleworth and Angharad Davies

Symphony No 3 - Brahms

Saturday 9th June 2007 at 7.30pm.
Salvatiion Army Citadel, Hadleigh

Festival Overture - Shostakovitch
Piano Concerto in A minor - Schumann - Soloist: Shalinee Jayatilaka
'London' Symphony - Vaughan-Williams

Saturday 1st December 2007 at 7.30pm.
Crowstone St George's, Westcliff on Sea

Overture: The Wasps - Vaughan-Williams
Concerto for 2 violins in D minor – J.S. Bach
Soloists: Elisa Bergersen & Lorraine Kelly
ReqSymphony No 5 in B flat Major – Schubert
Four Scottish Dances – Malcolm Arnold
Chanson de Matin – Elgar
Chanson de Nuit – Elgar
Dam Busters March – Eric Coates

Guest Conductor Gerald Usher

2008

Saturday 15th March 2008 at 7.30pm.
Sweyne Park School, Rayleigh

A concert with Sweyne Choral Society

Requiem in D minor Op 48 - Fauré
Petite Suite - Debussy

Anthems - John Rutter

Cantique de Jean Racine - Fauré
Symphonic Variations - Dvorak

Conductors
Clive Smith (Sweyne Choral Society) and Tony Orchover (Southend Philharmonic Orchestra)

Programme Archive

1945-1949	1950-1959	1960-1969	1970-1979
1980-1989	1990-1999	2000-

Conductors
Freda Parry and Stuart Mitchell conducted the first concert on 4th March 1945.

Stuart Mitchell
March 1945 - October 1967

Following demobilisation Stuart became the Orchestra's first permanent conductor. He stayed for over 20 years, during which the Sunday afternoon concerts became an established feature of Southend's musical life.

George Mowatt
December 1967 - May 1970

George had earlier performed with SPO as the soloist in a Mozart piano concerto in 1951 and became a regular member of the Orchestra both as a player - double bass and percussion - and as secretary and chairman. In 1967 he took up the baton to become the Orchestra's second permanent conductor. It was while he was conductor that performances changed from Sunday afternoons to Saturday evenings. George guided the Orchestra through two crises, lack of funds and lack of players. Such was his success at 'turning the Orchestra round' that the 25th Anniversary Concert was given in 1969 to great acclaim, with two well known and popular soloists of the time; Sidney Harrison and Molly Houldsworth.

Derek Harper
February 1971 - October 1979

Derek followed the tradition of having played in the Orchestra. For over 20 years, he played as a violinist and percussionist, before picking up the baton. Under Derek's leadership the Orchestra performed many celebrity and charity concerts including a patriotic concert to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Derek's last concert was in October 1979.

Christopher Wood
March 1980 - July 1989

Christopher trained as a pianist at the Royal Academy of Music. Under Christopher the Orchestra was introduced to modern music and played much of the music of Sir Michael Tippett. Concerts in a variety of venues outside Southend were undertaken at this time including St John's Smith Square in London. One notable open-air concert in Priory Park took place on a wet and windy day. The concert finished with a great flourish with the 1812 Overture and the obligatory fireworks.

Alan Gardner
November 1989 - July 1995

Alan was born near Southend and was a music teacher in a local Grammar School. He had been associate conductor of Southend Symphony Orchestra, and conductor of the local Sweyne Choral Society, when he took over the baton for SPO. Under his guidance Southend Philharmonic featured, as soloists, members of the Orchestra, local singers and instrumentalists, and professional performers at the start of their careers. The latter included cellist Caroline Dale, violinist Candida Thompson and the talented local cellist Sarah-Ann Barnes.

Lance Oliver
November 1995 - July 2001

Born locally, Lance began to play the violin at the age of six and three years later joined many of the local orchestras. At the age of thirteen whilst studying with Brenda Farrow, he performed his debut concerto with South East Essex Sixth Form College Orchestra. After a period of study with Detlef Hahn at the Guildhall School of Music, he went on to study at the Royal College of Music under Peter Manning where he also studied conducting and composition.

Since graduating, Lance has pursued a career as a violinist playing in a variety of orchestras and ensembles, including the orchestras of the BBC, the orchestra of the Royal Ballet of Birmingham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lance has performed with many stars from both the classical world and the West End including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Maria Friedman, Michael Legrand, Luciano Pavarotti, Nigel Kennedy and Lesley Garret, as well as special projects and tours involving Sir Simon Rattle, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli and Warner Brothers. Most recently he took part in a concert at Priory Park with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Lance is also active as a local teacher and music director, having been conductor of Southend Philharmonic Orchestra from 1995-2001 and currently the music director for the Southend Operatic and Drama Society . Lance has enjoyed a special relationship with the SPO for many years as player, leader and four times as a soloist with the Orchestra.

After Lance left, to pursue his professional career, the Orchestra invited three 'guest' conductors, for the following year 2001 - 2002:

Richard Brittain - November 2001

David Stanley - March 2002
Also conducts www.seyso.org.uk

Ian Walker - July 2002
Also MD of www.eastwoodchorale.co.uk

After holding auditions during the autumn term 2002 the Orchestra invited Andrew Morley to become its seventh permanent conductor.

Andrew Morley
January 2003

"What we heard was a marvel ... the most convincing, gripping, sheerly beautiful realisation of Gruppen that I've heard." - Sunday Times

Andrew studied conducting with Denis McCaldin at Lancaster University and subsequently won the Hertford Choral Scholarship to study with Peter Stark at Trinity College of Music (TCM). Having graduated with distinction, winning the Ricordi Conducting Prize, he is now in demand as a teacher and conductor in and around London.

At Trinity, Andrew's conducting work included Aaron Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring with the TCM Sinfonia, Heinz Holliger's experimental study in breath, Pneuma, with the TCM Wind Orchestra, and a concert of film music arranged by the late Stanley Black with the TCM Symphony Orchestra. In recognition of his successes Andrew was chosen as Trinity's entry for the intercollegiate Harriet Cohen Memorial Awards.

Recent performances include Malcolm Arnold's Symphony No. 3, Berlioz's Harold in Italy with the talented violist Samuel Burstin and a charity performance of Stockhausen's rarely performed Gruppen for three orchestras. In addition he has held teaching posts at Lancaster University, Trinity College of Music and currently works with the Trinity College of Music Junior Choir, the Stoneleigh Choral Society, The Wallace Ensemble, St. Paul's Sinfonia and the Southampton University Sinfonietta. In February 2004 Andrew was awarded first prize at the Allianz-Cornhill Musical Insurance Conducting Competition having received unanimous votes from both jury and orchestra.