ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA
Amadeus Chamber Orchestra is the leading chamber orchestra in the St Albans area. The orchestra gives regular concerts under the direction of a number of exceptionally talented young conductors and its conductor emeritus, Simon Thompson.
Local audiences have always greatly appreciated Amadeus for its varied programmes and consistently high standard of performance.
'Amadeus and Simon Thompson once more excelled in their performance, presenting a tight crispness of play in an excellent performance. Once more they proved themselves to be in the top flight of pro-am orchestras.' (Herts Advertiser, May 2022)
‘Young American/British conductor Johann Stuckenbruck showed tremendous ability with the orchestra and paid close attention to the needs of the soloist too, resulting in a thrilling performance.’ (Herts Advertiser, September 2022)
The orchestra has performed with a number of chamber choirs in St Albans, including Voix de Vivre chamber choir and St Albans Chamber Choir.
If you are a chamber choir looking to work with us, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Our Leader, Jennifer Wigram
Jennifer Wigram joined Amadeus Chamber Orchestra in 1978 and has been leader of the orchestra since 1996.
During her music studies at Bristol University Jennifer led all the orchestras and performed Vaughan William’s The Lark Ascending in the new Roman Catholic Cathedral. As a postgraduate student at the Royal College of Music she studied violin with Raymond Cohen. She was appointed leader of the St Albans Symphony Orchestra in 1981 and often performed as a soloist with the orchestra, including a performance of Max Bruch’s 1st Violin Concerto in St Albans Abbey.
Jenny has been leader of Saffron Opera Group since its inception in 2014. Performances include Wagner’s Ring cycle and Stravinsky’s The Rake's Progress, at the Saffron Hall in Saffron Walden.
She often gives recitals, both as soloist and chamber musician, including performances with other members of her family, and gives concerts for charities. She has been leader of Amadeus Chamber Orchestra since 1996.
History of the Orchestra
Amadeus Chamber Orchestra was formed in 1975 by Keith Swanwick, bringing together music teachers, professional musicians and talented amateurs from the St Albans area. It rapidly established itself as the leading chamber orchestra in the St Albans area and has built up a reputation with local audiences for giving concerts of a very high standard.
The repertoire embraces the major classical works for chamber orchestra from the 17th century onwards and a wide range of concertos featuring soloists from The Purcell School or from the music conservatoires or from the orchestra’s own members.
The orchestra enjoys working with a number of different conductors, including Simon Thompson, who was the musical director and conductor of Amadeus for 30 years until 2017.
Providing a platform for young musicians is of great importance to the orchestra. The orchestra has found it stimulating to work with a number of exceptionally talented young conductors and soloists.
Legal
The Amadeus Chamber Orchestra is a Registered Charity, No. 1098000 and is a proud supporter of Making Music.
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