A Salford-based amateur orchestra celebrated their 75th anniversary with a commemorative concert, playing music from composers such as Beethoven and Mozart.
Earlier this month, Salford Symphony Orchestra performed at St Paul’s Church with an aim to attract and inspire more younger faces to watch, and also perform with the orchestra.
Denise Doyle is a part of the first violins section and has been playing with the orchestra since she was in her mid-teens. The orchestra has been a part of her life for a long time, as her mother used to watch when they were first founded by the late Joseph Needham in 1947.
Keeping the orchestra going for many years to come is one of the biggest goals she has, and she explained how important it is to keep the music actively flowing within Salford.
Denise said: “It’s very important to Salford.
“It gives the younger children who are going through and having instrumental lessons an opportunity to come along and play music with lots of different people of different ages, and different abilities as well.
“We have got a lot of newer members and a lot more younger members, who are hopefully going to be joining us.
“We’ve also got a lot of older members, and we’ve all worked together and known each other for a long time through the different music services.”
The symphony orchestra unfortunately had to disband in 1985, due to economic issues. However, following lots of requests from the Salford public and local musicians, the orchestra was reformed years later, in 1995.
Christine Clarkson used to play in the orchestra and is one of the key individuals who brought them back together after the break. She explained that music meant “everything, absolutely everything” to her.
It wasn’t just her love for music that inspired her to reform the orchestra, it was also her love for the city of Salford.
Christine stated: “When I came to Salford from Cheshire, I thought that Salford was a fantastic place to be, to be educated, wonderful.
“It is a brilliant city, and it really is a shining star on this planet.”
The 75th anniversary of the orchestra is a huge deal for the musicians and individuals involved with it. It highlights the importance of maintaining Salford’s musical reputation.
Chairman and member of the second violins section, Simon Caplin, explained how important the anniversary is to him and why it is so important to local history that Salford continues to support its symphony orchestra.
Simon explained: “It’s a very special occasion for us, we are the only amateur orchestra as far as I know in Salford, that plays classical music.”
“It’s a very special privilege to be involved with running this orchestra, and I have been involved with running it now for the best part of 20 years, of those 75 years.
“We welcome all people who share our love of music, and who want to play live music and so I think that’s what keeps us going.”
After a successful evening of music at St Paul’s Church, the Salford Symphony Orchestra are looking forward to their next concert on Sunday 11th December 2022.
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