Anthony Payne

It is with great sadness that the Orchestra has learned of the death of our President, the composer Anthony Payne.  He was 84 and had lost is wife, the singer Jane Manning, only a month previously.

He is perhaps best-known for his astounding and highly successful realisation of the sketches for Elgar’s Third Symphony, though, as this obituary notes, his own compositional style was rather more overtly modern.  Our connection with him stemmed very much from the Elgar: Adrian Brown was an early champion of the work, and BSO performed it in March 2006 (alongside his own Spring’s Shining Wake).  Anthony and Jane were in the audience only last March when Adrian’s Elgar Sinfonia (which includes many BSO players) performed the Symphony in London – Anthony apparently mentioned how much he had enjoyed that performance only a few days before he died.

We were honoured that Anthony agreed to be our President and we will dedicate our Elgar Sea Pictures on 17 July to his memory.  And we will plan a fitting memorial in due course, maybe involving a further performance of the Symphony and perhaps another one of his many works.

Coronavirus update

Dear BSO concert-goers/supporters

I expect many of you are wondering about the implications for our forthcoming concert of the government’s recent announcement to delay the easing of lockdown restrictions.

We have always planned for this eventuality and our rehearsals and concerts are to take place within the current DCMS guidance. We will be rehearsing and performing in a socially-distanced way, with individual desks for strings.  We will take up the entire performance space as a result and hope that ensemble does not suffer too much!

Langley Park Performance Centre is operating at 50% capacity in line with guidelines.  So we have planned on two performances to enable as many of you to attend as possible:

• Concert 1: 5.30-6.45pm
• Concert 2: 8-9.15pm

Please note that no refreshments will be served and there will be no interval.

To remind you of the programme:

• Wagner: Die Meistersinger Overture
• Elgar: Sea Pictures (with Janice Watson)
• Beethoven: Symphony No 5

Tickets (for these concerts only) are priced at £15 (under 18s free but they need to “buy” a ticket).  We are using a new ticketing system (Ticket Source) that will enable you to purchase tickets yourselves online: you can print them out or bring them on your phone.  Ticket Source will automatically leave a space either side of your party to accommodate social distancing – though every row will be bookable. 

Please make sure you sit in your allocated seats!  We ask you to wear face masks throughout, unless you are exempt.  At the end of the concert, the side doors directly to the car park will be open to allow a quick departure.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these concerts.  Details of next season’s exciting programme will be available on the night…

Provisional future concert dates for your diary

To be advised

Vacancies

We have a vacancy for a principal trumpet. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings in Bromley. Positions like these with an excellent non-professional orchestra don’t come up very often so please tell your trumpet playing friends and contact us if interested.

We also have vacancies for harps. Most other instruments have a waiting list.