Tickets are selling fast for Cockermouth Community Orchestra’s annual concert where they will be joined for only the second time by a chorus of local singers.
The orchestra is closing this year’s Cockermouth Live! event.
Formerly the Papcastle Community Orchestra, it was formed in 2007 to provide music making opportunities for people living in Papcastle.
Since those early days, though, the orchestra has blossomed and offers the same opportunity – but on a much grander scale, and from a much larger catchment area. There are 40 members of the orchestra.
Players range from early grades to post grade 8, therefore the orchestra has a wide spectrum of musical ability. The age range is from 16 to 90.
Audrey Evans and Enid Ferguson are the oldest performers and still play as and when they can. The youngest player is violinist Tabitha Wright, who sits near her mum in the first violins.
The orchestra meets once a month to rehearse and try out new pieces at the town’s United Reformed Church. Their concert at Cockermouth Live! is the only performance they do every year.
This year’s concert will include music by Vaughan-Williams, Holst, Gilbert & Sullivan and Ivor Novello as well as exploring folk music and sea shanties.
Joining the full orchestra this year will be another community group – Wild Chorus and Sing Owt, led by Dave Camlin. They will be singing a variety of pieces, from traditional blessings to rousing anthems. For the final piece the choir and orchestra will combine in a special joint arrangement of about 70 performers !
The orchestra’s conductor, Phil Wood, says “It’s going to be so much fun and very exciting for orchestra and singers to perform together. Talented singer and musical director Dave Camlin has achieved with his choirs what CCO do instrumentally. It really is marvellous that we can all join together for this community event. Thank you Cockermouth Live! for giving us the opportunity!”
Tickets for the concert, at Christ Church at 7pm on Sunday July 2 to formally close Cockermouth Live!, are available from Billy Bowman’s Music Shop and are £10, or free for accompanied children.
