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Welcome to the Junior Orchestra page!
Junior Orchestra meets on Thursdays 4pm-5pm
Junior Orchestra is primarily a children’s orchestra but is open to any beginner musicians including adults playing up to Grade 3 standard who would like to play in a group and learn the very special skill of playing with others. We meet on a Thursday afternoon during school term time, between 16:00 and 17:00. Many of the players that start in Junior Orchestra move up to the Symphony Orchestra when they have mastered the art of playing in a group and have reached a suitable standard of playing.
Junior Orchestra plays a wide range of music, from the three Orchestra Program’s by Edward B. Jurey, Galloping Home by Denis King, Wallace & Gromit by Julian Nott, Wills Blues by Nina Young and many more.
Junior Orchestra has a full season of concerts alongside the Symphony Orchestra, including the Annual Showcase Concert at St James the Greater church on London Road, and the birthday concert held at The Claremont Centre. Birstall Methodist Church and St Patricks Catholic Churches are also regular venues for the orchestra's concerts.
Every year Junior Orchestra has a residential weekend at Quorn Hall in May, where they learn new music and sing together in a Choir. The weekend is filled with musical activities involving the children working together, they make friends with their fellow musicians and learn new music together so developing their playing skills whilst having fun. The weekend culminates in a performance, usually in the grounds of the Hall, to which family and friends are invited.
Members of The Symphony Orchestra who have come from Junior Orchestra support the younger players in rehearsals and at the residential weekend to help them develop their playing and their ensemble skills so building a link between the two orchestras which makes the transition between the two much easier for young players.
If you would like to find out more about the Junior Orchestra, whether you are an adult or a child beginner, please contact the office on 0116 266 4153 to arrange a visit.
There is a very reasonable annual fee for joining the Music Centre which allows you to play in the orchstra and offers you the chance to take part in many of the other activities at the centre such as ensembles, music theory, big band and much more. Extra fees may apply to some of the other activities please contact us to enquire.