Paula's Place

Paula's Place

Monday 13 January 2014

LGSO

I often write about how much I have been enjoying playing with the LGSO.   It's not just that they have given me the opportunity to perform as Paula, they are a really great bunch of guys and girls, one of the friendliest orchestras I have ever played with, we eat, drink and make friends across sections, something that is surprising unusual in amateur orchestras.   Although the orchestra was formed to serve the LGBT community in London, it is not exclusive and there are some straight members as well, simply because it is such fun.

The other thing that does have to be said is that it is a good orchestra.   Many of the members are either professional musicians or work in some aspect of "the business", I am not aware of a demand for a minimum standard, but the level of musicianship and technical competence is much higher than any suburban orchestra I have yet come across, this allows us to play some pretty challenging repertoire and our excellent MD (Christopher Braime) to get the best out of the music.

It's not long now till our next concert on the 16th February, in the mean time here is a YouTube clip from out last (Christmas) concert, we are playing Sleigh Ride, but not the ubiquitous Leroy Anderson one, this is Delius




The other thing I really, really like is that I must be just about the oldest member of this orchestra, I always worry about any group I go into and lower the average age, well that doesn't happen here.   At the last rehearsal I attended I looked at the rest of the section and speculated that my trombone was the second eldest thing there, I'm too nice to ask the guys their age but I think I must be more than twenty years older than the other three in my section, and I suspect that there can only be one or two others who are even over 40 in the whole orchestra.   Orchestral music is alive, kicking and still being played by vibrant young people!

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