\ufeffThis month we celebrate half a century of Rutland Sinfonia as well as musical talent elsewhere in the county, beginning with a chat with Paul Hilliam, Musical Director of Rutland Sinfonia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffRutland Sinfonia can fill a large space… in every sense. With over 60 players performing in unison during a concert, the rich, stirring and precise sound is unmatched, especially when it swells around the naves of Oakham School Chapel and St Peter\u2019s Church Oundle, with their thick stonework creating depth and resonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The physical size of the orchestra, too, is significant. Upwards of 200 square metres is required to accommodate the group. And that\u2019s before the audience arrives, filling up row upon row of seats or pews, all keen to hear the orchestra performing their high-quality orchestral music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celebrating 50 years since its inception, Rutland Sinfonia was founded by Barry Collett, its Conductor Emeritus, who believed that despite its size, the county deserves to enjoy orchestral music performed to the highest standards. Today that ethos endures under the group\u2019s current Musical Director Paul Hilliam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI studied in London before working with a number of orchestras in the Midlands, and joining Rutland Sinfonia in 2007,\u201d says Paul. \u201cServing alongside our Associate Conductor David Calow, we lead the group in performances, but beyond that, the role of Musical Director involves organising the programmes, and having an influence on how the orchestra develops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight from the outset I felt it important to continue Barry\u2019s original vision, because when he founded the orchestra it quickly attracted musicians not just from Rutland but from the surrounding area, gaining respect because players and the audiences were impressed by the variety of music and the quality of performance. It was a winning formula and ever since that point Rutland Sinfonia has set standards beyond those you\u2019d expect from what I guess you\u2019d call a provincial amateur orchestra.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome of the players are teachers of music although many more are not, and we\u2019ve always been keen to foster a diverse repertoire including some more adventurous or unusual pieces. A few years ago, for example, we performed a symphony written by Ruth Gipps, who was less well-known back then but has since become more prominent. For our 50th anniversary season we\u2019ve a mix of more adventurous selections, but also some old favourites and crowd-pleasers too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur November performance in Oundle will feature some of the best-known and most iconic operatic music such as Puccini\u2019s Nessun Dorma, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Song to the Moon and Mascagni\u2019s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. Then next year when we return to Oakham School Chapel, we perform a concert of movie soundtracks with a rousing Star Wars finale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRutland Sinfonia is proud to nurture its own talent. In June next year alongside a performance of Elgar\u2019s Enigma Variations, we will perform Fantasy, an orchestral piece written especially for the orchestra by Becky Taylor, one of our violinists who was also one of our Young Soloists several years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe orchestra has also performed alongside some very established musicians including our patrons, one of whom is Robert Markham, who has performed with the LSO, BBC Philharmonic and the London Mozart Players and is currently Senior Tutor in Piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. We\u2019re equally proud to have had Eduardo Vassallo as our first Musical Patron from our 35th anniversary. Eduardo is Principal Cellist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and will join us for Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Cello Concerto in June 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have to keep a musical programme interesting and try to maintain a balance. Audiences enjoy well-known pieces but they also enjoy being introduced to less familiar repertoire. If you don\u2019t introduce anything beyond more mainstream choices you limit yourself. We tend to select music a year in advance because quite aside from the time and attention that you want to invest in programming, there\u2019s the need to book musicians to secure their availability and then to schedule typically three rehearsals before a performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to be familiar with a piece of music from a technical perspective but there\u2019s rather more going on when an orchestra performs together. Forget the physical side of things for a second; I think the whole experience boils down to psychology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an intuitive togetherness and a desire not just to play the notes but to actually perform \u2013 those are two very different things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a conductor you\u2019re leading the orchestra but facilitating trust in your players too, giving them license, space and freedom to work together and allowing everyone to express their intuitive understanding of a piece of music. Really it\u2019s about encouraging individuality along with corporate responsibility in the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of working together during a performance either,\u201d says Paul. \u201cWe\u2019re very lucky indeed to have a committee and our friends and supporters who have any number of careers and busy lives but still find the time to organise our season and arrange things like rehearsal venues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a big group with some equally large instruments, sometimes including grand piano and harps, so to be able to find a venue with the space and the acoustics we need to practice and to organise everything behind the scenes is no mean feat. We\u2019re very lucky and grateful to all concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel really humble and really excited at the same time to be able to lead an orchestra so committed to quality and to participating in performances that our audiences love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to make this year particularly special of course, but every performance together is the result of lots of talent, lots of hard work and lots of very special people working together on something they enjoy very much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffRutland Sinfonia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ufeffSaturday 4th October: Grieg Piano Concerto Saturday 22nd November: A Night at the Opera Saturday 14th March 2026: The Sound of Hollywood Saturday 6th June 2026: Elgar Enigma Variations<\/strong>Featuring Musical Patron, Eduardo Vassallo, Principal cellist of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Cello Concerto and a performance of Becky Taylor\u2019s Fantasy. The season concludes with Elgar\u2019s Enigma Variations. <\/em><\/strong>St Peter\u2019s Church, Oundle, 7.30pm, \u00a316\/adult; \u00a35\/student.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n See www.rutlandsinfonia.org.uk<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rutland &\u2008Stamford\u2019s Choirs & Bands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rutland Choral Society Stamford Choral Society<\/strong>One of the region\u2019s largest and longest-standing choirs, dating back to 1869 and with a membership of 110, Stamford Choral Society performs under the baton of musical director Jeremy Jepson. Meeting on Tuesday evenings (term time) <\/em><\/strong>at Stamford Methodist Church. See website for forthcoming performances. Call 07990841122 or see www.stamfordchoral.co.uk.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oakham Choral Society Uppingham Choral society
<\/strong>Featuring Musical Patron Robert Markham playing Grieg\u2019s Piano Concerto (top 30 Classic FM Hall of Fame 2025), and Beethoven\u2019s 5th Symphony. Schubert\u2019s Overture Rosamunde completes the programme for the opening concert of Rutland Sinfonia\u2019s 50th Anniversary season. Oakham School Chapel, 7.30pm, \u00a316\/adult; \u00a35\/student.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Featuring soprano Jenny Saunders and tenor David Morris. A journey of well known operatic music. e.g.: Puccini, Finale Act 1, La Boheme; Bizet\u2019s Overture to Carmen; Puccini\u2019s Nessun Dorma; Mascagni\u2019s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. St Peter\u2019s Church, Oundle, 7.30pm, \u00a316\/adult; \u00a35\/student.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>A concert of movie soundtracks from Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, War Horse, Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean and more, with a Star Wars Finale. <\/strong>Oakham School Chapel, 7.30pm, \u00a316\/adult; \u00a35\/student.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Rutland Choral Society has been part of the county\u2019s music scene since 1971, and is now led by Musical Director Jamie Conway and Accompanist Ivan Linford. Presenting a repertoire that spans liturgical, popular classics and arrangements of folk melodies, the Society is open to all without audition, rehearsing on Monday evenings at the Rutland Showground Pavilion in Oakham. The Society usually holds three concerts a year including its Christmas Concert at All Saints\u2019 Church in Oakham on Saturday 6th December, from 7.30pm. Call 07515 426149 or see www.rutlandchoralsociety.org.uk<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>The community choir for Rutland, performs a range of choral works accompanied by professional musicians and soloists of exceptional calibre. Rehearsals are held each Tuesday during term time in Oakham School Chapel. The choir presents three main concerts, typically in November, March and June, providing members with regular performance opportunities in a friendly, community-centred environment. Call 01572 758 820 or see www.ocs.oakham.rutland.sch.uk<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Uppingham Choral Society is a well established organisation in the local community and welcomes anyone who enjoys singing. No experience is required… just enthusiasm to learn. Our autumn term rehearsals start in September at Uppingham Methodist Church, 7.30pm. Our Musical Director, David Revels (Head of Singing and Choral Director at Uppingham School), together with our accomplished accompanist Andrew Forbes, guide us to a high standard of music-making. This year\u2019s Come and Sing event will take place at St James\u2019 Church, Gretton, on Saturday 27th September. Our Christmas Concert follows on Saturday 13th December, 7.30pm at Uppingham Parish Church, featuring Vivaldi\u2019s Gloria, and wonderful festive music. <\/strong>For details, please contact Hui-yen Bloodworth at uppchoral@gmail.com or visit www.uppinghamchoralsociety.uk<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n