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Wrexham
Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1969 by the late Bryn Williams, then senior
lecturer of Music at
The
gathering of musicians, conducted by Bryn Williams, and with local peripatetic
violin teacher Keith Dawber as leader, was an apparent success, and after this
initial concert they decided to expand the group to include woodwind and brass
players. The Wrexham and District Orchestral Society was born, with its
performing arm more commonly known as the “Wrexham Orchestra”. It was not until
1992 that the orchestra changed its name again, this time to the current
“Wrexham Symphony Orchestra”.
Incidentally,
it is difficult to determine whether the Wrexham and District Orchestral Society
has ever had more than one “arm” other than its performing one! In the
Orchestra’s constitution the name still exists but it is generally a redundant
term. As it is, changes of county boundaries have made the words “and District”
inconsequential – Wrexham is now also a County Borough, with the town of
Wrexham at its centre. Meanwhile, older members still tend to refer to the
orchestra affectionately as “Wrexham Orch”.
The
WSO has grown to its present day membership numbering over sixty players and
regularly attracts professional guest conductors and outstanding soloists. The
increase in membership has allowed the orchestra to undertake increasingly
ambitious programmes of music and in increasingly more important venues. Since
1997, the orchestra has been resident at the prestigious NEWI William Aston
Hall in Wrexham. The year also saw the orchestra make a successful bid for
funding to the Lottery unit of the Arts Council of Wales. The percussion
equipment bought with this grant is now housed at the NEWI William Aston Hall.
The
orchestra was given charitable status in the early 1990’s, which has enabled it
to raise money for many other charities. Many local charities have benefited –
a full list can be seen in the Concert History
section – and over the years many thousands of pounds have been donated. In
1999 the orchestra was presented with a community award for its charity work by
British Steel.
In 2004 the WSO was inaugurated Orchestra in Residence at the NEWI William Aston Hall. The year also saw the orchestra presented with a workshop alongside players from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and to receive a grant towards music hire and expenditure from the Arts Council of Wales. In December 2004, the WSO appeared on Compact Disc performing Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride”, part of a charity disc for Children in Need, in conjunction with many local schools and the recording course at the North East Wales Institute.
2006 saw the orchestra receive a second grant through the Welsh Amateur Music Federation (WAMF) which has enabled the orchestra to purchase a greatly needed “Clavinova” keyboard to enhance the orchestra’s repertoire and functionality.
2007 saw the formation of the Wrexham Symphony Chorus, a sister organisation inaugurated to widen the repertoire of the orchestra and to give local singers more opportunity to perform with full Symphony Orchestra.
The
orchestra has had many conductors through its history. Bryn Williams was its
first, succeeded by Keith Dawber, then Andrew Lansom.
He was followed by Eve Armitage, then Chris Roberts.
By
the late 1980s the orchestra realised it needed a more flexible approach,
rather than the “for life” status the position had previously enjoyed. By
nominating a different conductor per season it was felt that more people would
be attracted to the post, and it could even deter members from leaving the
orchestra if they didn’t appreciate a certain conductor! The fresh approach
worked, and conductors from this period include (in no particular order) Alan Lees, Graham Marshman,
Andrew Lansom, Paul Whittaker and Tom Attwell.
By the mid 1990s things were taken one step further, and since then the
committee has invited a different conductor each concert. Since then conductors
have included Laurence Perkins, Garry Walker, Patrick
Williams, Huw Gareth Williams, Mark Lansom, Alan Lees,
Paul Whittaker, Ian Morgan-Williams, Robin Newton, Ian Jones, Matthew Wood, Russell Gray,
and Kenneth Woods.
The orchestra’s first leader was Emlyn Evans, followed by Andrew Roberts. Between them they led almost all the concerts in its first twenty seven years. Since Andrew Roberts’s departure the committee decided, as with conductors, to appoint per concert, though the most regular leaders have been Craig Clewley and Mark Lansom. Other people who have led the WSO through its history include Norma Rothwell, Helen Chesworth, Nerys Farmer, Mike Vellacott, Giulia de Rosa, Benjamin Lowe, and Sam Aylward
For
many years the orchestra rehearsed at
Throughout
the orchestra’s history, rehearsal night has always been a Wednesday, these
days starting at 7.15pm, until 9.30pm.
These
have been many and widespread. Most churches large enough (and some not quite
large enough!) in the Wrexham area have held WSO concerts in the orchestra’s
history. Many concerts in the late 1970s and early 1980s were held in Acton
School hall. Significant venues since include Theatr Clwyd, St Asaph Cathedral,
and the town’s own magnificent parish church, St Giles (especially when its
Canon, Barry Smith, was a member of the viola section!). For many years in the
early 1990s the orchestra was host to a “Come and Sing Messiah” event held
every January at St Giles. After a gap of many years, the orchestra returned to
the work for a repeat event in 2007.
To
our knowledge the orchestra has played only three venues outside Wales, Sir
John Talbot School in Whitchurch, Ellesmere Port Civic Hall, and, on many
occasions, Wallasey Town Hall. During most of the 1990s the orchestra played
many concerts there, usually one per year and usually in a programme of lighter
music. Since the late 1990s almost all of its concerts have been at the NEWI William
Aston Hall, though the orchestra first performed there in 1994.
Not
many orchestral members, however, will forget the low of playing in front of
about seven people (probably artistic licence there, but it wasn’t many) in the
canteen at local firm BICC. Not a great night but a tremendous yardstick to
show the orchestra’s progression since!
Chairmans
of the orchestra have included Bernard Jones, Emlyn Evans, Geoff Blore, Alun Thomas, Andrew
Lansom, Myra Roberts, Tim Rowland, Jason George, Frank Thorne, Heather
Thomas, Becky Jarvis, Martin Oliver, and Matthew Ellis, the current chairman.
Current
members who first played in the orchestra twenty or more years ago include Myra
Roberts, Brian Jones, Stella Lansom, Heather Thomas, Mark
Lansom, Eileen Livesey and Tim Rowland. Joy Thomas and Rosalind Maddocks
are the only current members who actually performed in the Clywedog Ensemble
concert of 1969.
Andrew Lansom performed in every concert, as
flautist or conductor, from 1969 until March 2001, whilst Geoff Blore (clarinet) played in the orchestra from
when it was first expanded from a string orchestra in 1969 until his retirement
in March 2004.
Since the late 1980s, this occasional award has been made to a promising player under the age of twenty one. People who have won this award include Helen Chesworth (violin), Nia Roberts (double bass), Janet Davies (clarinet), Matthew Ellis (French horn, and now current chairman), Jessica Spalding (bassoon), Sam Aylward (violin) and Rebecca Tattersall (double bass). In 2001 the award’s name was changed to the “Andrew Lansom Young Player Award”. Since then the recipients have been:
2001: Krista
Williams (Cello)
2003: David Pfeiffer (Violin)
2004: Christine Ellis (Violin) and Alison Butler
(Double Bass)
2005: Iolo McGregor (Cello)
2006: Laura Murphy (Double Bass) and Robert Guy
(Viola/Violin)
2007: Edward Wadon (Cello)
No
history of the orchestra could be complete without a mention for the late Alan
Gartrell. A non-playing member, he came to rehearsals only to give a lift to
his violin-playing daughter, Susan. Somehow he was thrust into the role of
manager, but he took the role seriously and wholeheartedly. During his time
with the orchestra he held as many as three committee positions simultaneously,
organised concert venues, music, players, tickets, posters, coaches, many a
newsletter and even made the half-time tea. He has been sadly missed.
The
above was written by Mark Lansom, mostly through
personal recollection, and with, in most cases, little or no written evidence.
There are therefore probably many inaccuracies and therefore profuse apologies
are offered in advance to anybody inadvertently omitted. Please get in touch
through the message board or e-mail if you can
offer any additions, omissions or anecdotes. Or just speak to Mark Lansom on a Wednesday night at the William Aston
Hall.
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