FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Orchestra has warmed up and is now finely-tuned and ready for their 2022 Season Launch. The English Symphony Orchestra (ESO), under the baton of Kenneth Woods, are an orchestra deeply rooted in the history, community (more on that later…) and DNA of Elgar Country and this season they’re presenting live concerts in Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester, Cheltenham and beyond, and following the success of their inaugural ESO Digital streaming service, launched in 2020, even those further afield can enjoy the music of the ESO from the comfort of their home.

And now, it’s time to pop our heads round the concert hall door and see what the ESO have got coming up this season…

ESO Concerts

Friday 4^th March at 7.30pm
Maja Bogdanovic and Daniel Rowland at St Peter’s Church, Hereford

Programme
Joseph Haydn  Symphony No. 96 ‘The Miracle’
Philip Sawyers  Double Concerto*
W A Mozart  Symphony No. 41 in C Major ‘Jupiter’
*Soloists: Daniel Rowland (violin), Maja Bogdanovic (cello)

The English Symphony Orchestra return to St Peter’s Church in Hereford for a concert featuring two titans of the symphonic world: Haydn and Mozart.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/04mar22-hereford

Saturday 5^th March at 7.30pm
Daniel Rowland at Great Malvern Priory

Programme
Francis Poulenc  Sinfonietta
Philip Sawyers  Viola Concerto*
W A Mozart  Symphony No. 40 in G minor
*Soloist: Daniel Rowland (viola)

The story of Mozart’s final three symphonies is a remarkable one. He wrote all three pieces within the space of about nine weeks in 1788, as well as writing other works and simultaneously dealing with immense personal struggles.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/05mar22-malvern

Wednesday 16^th March at 7.30pm
Zoë Beyers at Cheltenham Town Hall

Programme
Robert Schumann  Manfred Overture
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky  Violin Concerto, Op.35*
Antonín Dvořák  Symphony No.9
*Soloist: Zoë Beyers (violin)

As part of this Romantic composer-led programme, ESO leader and violinist Zoë Beyers will be bringing Tchaikovsky’s challenging but much-loved Violin Concerto to life.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/16mar22-cheltenham

Saturday 9^th April at 7.30pm
St John Passion at Leominster Priory

Programme
Bob Chilcott  St John Passion
George Walker  Lyric for Strings
W A Mozart  Adagio and Fugue in C minor
Vaughan Williams  Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Chorus: Academia Musica Choir
Soloists: to be announced

This concert is all about bridging the gap between eras, taking inspiration from the past to create something compelling and new.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/09apr22-leominster

Saturday 23^rd April at 7.45pm
Peter Donohoe at Malvern Theatres

Programme
Carl Nielsen  Helios Overture
Edvard Grieg  Piano Concerto in A minor*
Jean Sibelius  Symphony No. 6
*Soloist: Peter Donohoe

For tonight’s programme the ESO are taking the audience on a tour of the Nordic region, with a little sojourn to Athens along the way.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/23apr22-malvern

Wednesday 4^th May at 7.30pm
The Great Caruso at the Swan Theatre, Worcester

Programme
Luigi Denza arr. Arnold Schoenberg  “Funiculì, Funiculà”
Erwin Schulhoff  Suite for Chamber Orchestra
The Great Caruso*
*Soloist: Mark Milhofer (tenor)

The second half of tonight’s programme honours two huge personalities and their unique talents: Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza, and will feature a selection of songs and arias that they both brought to a world-wide audience, interspersed with stories about their extraordinary lives and the music they created.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/04may22-worcester

Wednesday 15^th June at 7.30pm
April Fredrick at Great Malvern Priory

Programme
W A Mozart  Adagio and Fugue in C minor
Richard Strauss arr. Tony Burke  Morgen!
Emily Doolittle  A Short, Slow Life
Antonín Dvořák arr. Tony Burke  Song to the Moon from Rusalka*
W A Mozart  Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major
*Soloist: April Fredrick (soprano)

Tonight’s programme features April Fredrick, who is the ESO’s first Affiliate Artist, to perform Dvořák’s Song to the Moon from Rusalka, arranged by Tony Burke.

Event/Ticket Link: https://eso.co.uk/15jun22-malvern

There will be more ESO concerts to be announced soon so keep your eyes peeled…

ESO Digital Concerts

What is ESO Digital you may ask? Well, ESO Digital was launched in 2020 following a series of performances that were recorded and filmed at Wyastone Recording Studio and later broadcast via the ESO’s new digital channel, ESO Digital. These virtual concerts provided a much-needed lifeline for ESO musicians and audiences to stay connected during the pandemic and although the ESO is now welcoming back live audiences to their concerts, the platform has been such a success in reaching new and wider audiences across the world that it’s become part of the ESO family.

All of these concerts are available to watch for FREE each month, for a limited time, or audiences can become an ESO Digital supporter with a donation from just as £5 a month to access all virtual concerts as much as their heart desires. For more info: https://eso.co.uk/digital

Friday 18^th – Tuesday 22^nd February at 7.30pm
The Music of Saxton & Sawyers

Programme
Philip Sawyers  Octet
Robert Saxton  The Resurrection of the Soldiers
Philip Sawyers  Remembrance for Strings

Event Link: https://eso.co.uk/saxtonsawyers

Friday 25^th – Tuesday 29^th March at 7.30pm
20^th Century Symphony: Adrian Williams

Programme
Adrian Williams  Symphony No.1

Event Link: https://eso.co.uk/adrianwilliamssymphony

Friday 8th – Tuesday 12^th April at 7.30pm
The Enigma Variations

Programme
Edward Elgar  The Enigma Variations

Event Link: https://eso.co.uk/enigmavariations

There will be more ESO Digital concerts announced soon so keep your eyes peeled…

ESO Youth and Community Work

Besides performing regularly on the concert hall stage throughout the region, the ESO also curate a lot of outreach initiatives and opportunities for the local community, including educational workshops and courses with young musicians (ESO Youth) and performing interactive concerts in local Care Homes, Hospices and Dementia Meeting Centres.

ESO Youth offers musical opportunities for children and young people aged 6-19 at all levels and from all backgrounds. 2022 will be packed with various half-term and holiday orchestral, chamber music and composition workshops and courses, as well as ‘Side-by-Side’ projects with the professional musicians from the ESO and masterclasses with guest soloists.

Megan Grainger (violin) on her experience of the ESO Side-by-Side initiative: “I would just like to say thank you so much for this amazing opportunity that I was lucky enough to experience. Playing the Mozart Divertimento was so much fun alongside ESO musicians and it was very exciting to be directed by Zoë Beyers who injected energy and incredible attention to detail into our playing. Playing Finzi’s Romance was also thoroughly enjoyable – I feel very lucky to have worked with the wonderful ESO musicians who shared their insight into bringing out the beauty of the music. After we performed our pieces in the concert, we watched the ESO’s performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons which was fantastic. Zoë was truly inspirational in her playing as soloist and the way she directed from the violin.”

All of this vital community work not only strengthens and enriches the lives of the many who take part but also captures the ethos of what the ESO is wanting to achieve: to make music accessible to all.

For more information on the work of ESO Youth, please visit: https://eso.co.uk/community/eso-youth

For more information on the work in Care Homes, please visit: https://eso.co.uk/community/concerts-in-care-homes/

[ENDS]

For further press information please contact pr@eso.co.uk