GUILDFORD TIMES, WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 15th, 1975
Winchester,
OUR ORCHESTRA
FEW towns hav¥ a municipal
(
orchestra. Guildford is one of
the exceptions. That it should
have an orchestra which is
fully-professional,
only
not
but conducted by a man of
international repute, probably
makes it unique in the
country.
By Ron Toft, Public Relations Officer, Guildford
Borough Council,
orchestral musicians.
During the past 12 years,
it has gone from sirength to
Sunday,
on
At 3 pm.
September
21st,
Guildford
strength in technical standard
Philharmonic Orchestra will
under
its
internationallythe
of
concert
first
stage the
Vernon
_admired conductor,
—new - season —at the town’s
landley, who is also GuildCivic Hall. The annual series
ford Council’s
Director of
of concerts — .there are 16
Music.
from September to May —
THE
OF
CONDUCTOR
are invariably sell-outs. This
is considered quite remarkable
in professional music circles
in view of Guildford’s size,
The concerts are sponsored
by the borough council with
financial support from the
South-East Arts Association.
PhilharGuildford
The
monic has achieved a national
|
reputation for its high standard of playing, stimulating
programmes and the atmosphere of excitement created
by its performances. Formed
just after the last war by the
former
Guildford
Corporation, the orchestra comprises
70-80 of the country’s leading
YEAR
“Tod” Handley, a down-toearth and immensely likeable
person, was voted Conductor
of the Year in 1973 by the
Composers’ Guild of Great
Britain. As well as conducting
the Guildford series of concerts,
“Tod’’
broadcasts
regularly
with
the
B.B.C.
regional orchestras and makes
frequent
guest
appearances
PhilharLondon
the
with
monic
and Royal
Philharmonic Orchestras.
Hugh Bean, probably the
best-known orchestral leader
in
the
country,
has led
the
Guildford Philharmenic since
The
orchestras
co1971.
leader,
John
Ludlow, is also
leader of the English National
Orchestra and has led, too,
the London Mozart Players,
;l;led Covent Garden Orchesira
Canterbury
and
Broadstairs.
It is the trust’s intention
that the Guildford Philharmonic
should
become
the
orchestra
of the South-East, If
professional expertise is anything to go by, the orchestra
is already more than half-way
toWards achieving that distinc-
Comes
of
the
progranune can
from Concert
Man
:
-
latter catermg for young peo-
ple up to the age of 30. Both
“Tod”
by
conducted
are
Handley
and
play
concerts,
singing
an
active
many
chal-
part in the annual series of
lenging
and
little-known
works in addition to the stan-
dard classics of the choral
repertoire.
Commercial recordings have
been made by both choirs, as
well as by the orchestra itself.
MUSIC TRUST
In 1972,
the
South-East
Music Trust was formed to
promote the Guildford Phil-
harmonic outside the town.
To begin with, concerts were
held in Farnham and Woking.
Later,
the
{rust
provided
funds towards the cost of putting on concerts in Aldershot,
orchestra’s
obtamed
Kathy Atkins ‘(fi
the Bournemouth. Sin- ;
House,
155
fonietta.
Tcl
Closely
linked with the : Gmldford
73800.
Guildford Philharmonic are
two choirs — the Phdhar—
P
monic and
be
Gwl