The orchestra has grown out of Durham Sinfonia who have been making music within the region for the last 20 years

The decision to change the name to Orchestra North East was made to more accurately reflect who the orchestra is and what it does, specifically

• Drawn from musicians across the region – from Cleveland to Northumberland
• Play larger scale orchestral works

A registered charity, the orchestra is run by a committee of musicians who hire professional conductors, soloists and a leader who are involved in agreeing forthcoming concert programmes.

• Many of the conductors have  been drawn from the Royal Northern College of Music who have gone on the establish growing international reputations – Andre De Riddier; Philippe Bach; Baldur Bronniman
• Others bring experience of performance with major UK orchestras & concert venues to our orchestra – Jamie Burton; Ben Zander & the North East’s own John Wilson

The orchestra

• Changes slightly from concert to concert according to the professional commitments of the musicians who make up the orchestra. Players are invited to play from a roster of around 80 individuals, the majority of whom make their living from music.
• Freely gives their time in return for the unique opportunity to play larger scale repertoire
• Rehearses just three times in the week before each concert
• Meets the majority of its financial obligation through ticket sales but needs the support of sponsors to balance the books.

Anyone interested in being invited to play with the orchestra should contact the Chairman Ian Miller, in the first instance

Fentiman’s has been supporting the orchestra since 2007, and additional sponsors are sought to replace Northern Rock, who had supported the orchestra for the five years to 2008, and take their concerts to wider audiences & more venues across the region

In their history, spanning 97 concerts, they have performed over 200 pieces by 76 composers.

In the early years works by Mozart dominated the repertoire, but as the orchestra grew in both numbers and ambition Brahms, Dvorak & Tchaikovsky have become amongst the orchestra’s favourite composers accounting for around 20% of pieces performed.

Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony was last performed by the orchestra exactly 15 years ago and is one of very few pieces to be revisited.