Rehearsals for Rochdale Light Orchestra to resume

Rochdale Light Orchestra conductor Graham Marshall

Rehearsals for the Rochdale Light Orchestra will resume at 7.30pm on 28 July at St Michael’s Parish Church in Bamford – and those who play a stringed instrument are asked to get in touch.

The Rochdale Light Orchestra was formed in 2008 by a group of enthusiasts led by local composer/conductor Graham Marshall. It gives amateur musicians the opportunity to get together regularly to rehearse and perform music of a light-hearted nature in an informal atmosphere.

There is scope for instrumentalists of all kinds - banjos, bongos and bassoons are as welcome as things you bow or blow - and the music can range from Bach to Bacharach.

Graham said: “After the enforced silence of the last eighteen months of social distancing, we are now looking forward to filling the air again with the music from the heart encounters and presentations we enjoy sharing among ourselves in rehearsing and with our audiences in performing. 

“Audiences are always invited to join us at no cost for either the performance or the interval refreshments.

“We are always in need of more violins, violas, cellos and double basses to help swell the swirling sounds of soaring strings. Anyone can just turn up with their instrument on July 28th and we’ll see what we can do. But it would be quite helpful if they were to email me at info@rochdalelightorchestra.org with just a little background info first. I shall be glad to hear from them.”

Contributions towards the cost of maintaining the orchestra are invited, but not expected.

The Rochdale Light Orchestra hopes to perform a concert evening at St Michael’s on Wednesday 6 October at 7.30pm. This will include a special arrangement of a ‘Trumpet Sonata in D’ by Henry Purcell and two of Elgar’s delightful miniatures, ‘Chanson de matin and Chanson de nuit’, as well as ‘Marches’ by Sousa and Holzman and delicious film music like ‘Laura’ by David Raskin, and Erroll Garner’s ‘Misty’.

Graham added: “Performing live music of all kinds by people older and younger has been a prominent and noteworthy feature of the town and borough of Rochdale for a very long time, and will surely continue to be so for generations to come. 

“I believe that the Rochdale Light Orchestra offers people of all ages a particular kind of experience in rehearsing and performing that is there to be cherished and made full use of, and I hope that more and more musicians will want to do so.”

Further details can be found on the Rochdale Light Orchestra website or on its Facebook page.