Covid-19 virus: Rehearsals suspended until further notice and May 9 concert cancelled 17th March 2020 - The SASO Committee is very sorry to announce that Wednesday and other rehearsals have been called-off until further notice. We also regret that our next concert of French music on Saturday May 9 in St...
Critic praises “superb” Elgar and “exciting” Walton at SASO’s March concert 12th March 2020 - Cellist Matthew Sharp’s moving performance of the Elgar concerto was “superb” according to Herts Advertiser critic John Manning, and “…one of the best solo live performances of the work I have ever heard.” But he...
‘Inspirational’ cellist Matthew Sharp returns to perform Elgar’s much-loved concerto 7th February 2020 - Passionate, hauntingly lyrical and profoundly sad, Sir Edward Elgar’s much-loved Cello Concerto is the featured work in St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s in St Saviour’s Church on Saturday 7 March (7.30pm). The great English composer’s wife,...
SASO New Year Concert makes the Viennese connection 30th November 2019 - Concert-goers around the world agree that New Year and Viennese music make an unbeatable combination – and St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s concert in the Cathedral on Wednesday 1st January 2020 (7pm) showcases works that happily...
WE’VE BEEN ON A BEAR HUNT! SASO’s children’s concerts a sell-out success. 18th November 2019 - SASO’s annual concerts for children on Sunday 17 November in St Saviour’s Church were a ‘growling’, sell-out success! We played Ian Stephen’s scrumptious score for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, including (uh-oh) ‘a totally...
Sea Symphony concert “a triumph at the Cathedral” 21st October 2019 - The 2019 St Albans St Cecilia Festival Concert in St Albans Cathedral on October 12 was “a triumph at several levels”, according to John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser. He thoroughly enjoyed the...
Ship ahoy! Massed choirs and SASO set sail for concert inspired by the sea 28th September 2019 - The sea in all its moods – from breezy beach holidays to storm-tossed ships on mighty oceans – provides the salt-sprayed theme for the St Albans St Cecilia Festival Concert taking place in the Cathedral...
SASO seeks biggest-ever audiences for a classic new season 20th August 2019 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra has plans to attract its biggest-ever audience for classical music in its 2019-2020 season, with three of its six concerts taking place in the city’s cathedral. The orchestra’s New Year...
Leader Jenny Wigram prepares to leave SASO after an amazing 40 years 19th June 2019 - SASO’s much-loved Leader, Jenny Wigram, is leaving SASO at the end of the current 2018-19 season. Here, she looks back on a remarkable 40 years with the orchestra, all but two of them in the...
Conductor Tom Hammond talks about SASO’s July 6 summer concert – and teaching James Corden how to conduct! 11th June 2019 - Listen to our Principal Conductor Tom Hammond as he recently talked to Radio Verulam presenter Jill Burridge about SASO’s summer concert on July 6. This features celebrated Scandinavian works: Norwegian Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto (with...
“…the evening was a huge success for the orchestra…” 16th May 2019 - SASO’s spring concert of English classics by Elgar and Vaughan Williams found the orchestra playing at the top of its form, according to critic John Manning, writing in the Herts Advertiser. Describing the performance of... Epoch-making Elgar and Vaughan Williams at SASO’s spring concert 22nd April 2019 - Two epoch-making works by English composers are brought together in the St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s spring concert on Saturday 11 May (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans AL1 4DF). Premiered within thirty...
“Clare Howick’s performance was completely outstanding…” 14th March 2019 - Clare Howick, the leading British violinist who performed Brahms Violin Concerto with SASO on March 9, was ‘completely outstanding’ according to John Manning, music reviewer for the Herts Advertiser: “Brahms’ Violin Concerto is a huge...
SASO welcomes internationally-acclaimed violinist Clare Howick as soloist 22nd February 2019 - A leading British violinist will appear with SASO on Saturday 9 March playing one of the greatest of all concertos written for her instrument (7.30pm St Saviour’s, Sandpit Lane, AL1 4DF) Clare Howick,...
New Year Concert review: “Throughout the evening the orchestra performed outstandingly.” 10th January 2019 - “It wouldn’t be New Year’s Day in St Albans without the annual concert at St Albans Abbey provided by the city’s symphony orchestra,” says critic John Manning, writing in the Herts Advertiser (10/1/19) “For hundreds...
Delightful dances and marvellous movie music: SASO’s New Year Concert has something for everyone! 10th December 2018 - Is your idea of a perfect New Year celebration strictly dancing? Or how about an evening enjoying classic movies? Better still, you can join St Albans Symphony Orchestra in the city’s Cathedral on January 1st...
Yo, ho, ho, oh no! Our pirate-themed children’s concerts are sold out 11th November 2018 - Shiver me timbers! Record demand for St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s Pirates Aaarh-hoy! concerts for children on the afternoon of Sunday November 18th means they are both sold out. The fancy dress concerts in St... SASO welcomes multi-talented Matthew Sharp as ‘cello soloist 29th September 2018 - ‘Cello soloist Matthew Sharp, who performs with St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) on Saturday October 13, is also an internationally successful singer, actor and director. (7.30pm St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, AL1 4DF) He has... New SASO season celebrates the life-enhancing power of music 9th September 2018 - From enduring hope in dark times to the exuberant enjoyment of living, a new season of concerts from St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) celebrates the power of music to portray and enhance contrasting aspects of...
Calling string players: play wonderful Walton with SASO! (workshop evening August 31 & daytime September 1) 3rd August 2018 - External string players are warmly invited to take part in a two-day workshop with St Albans Symphony Orchestra to prepare and perform Walton’s dazzling and technically demanding First Symphony. The workshop starts with a Friday...
“The whole performance gripped the audience…” 3rd July 2018 - John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser, was delighted by SASO’s all-Sibelius concert on June 23 – not least the superb playing of violin soloist David le Page. He declares that “every moment was... “Stunning” violin soloist returns to perform Sibelius with SASO 11th June 2018 - A violinist whose virtuosity and musicianship wowed his audience when he appeared with St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) last year is set to make a welcome return for the finale of the 2017/18 concert season...
“…an assured, fresh and polished performance…” 21st May 2018 - Geoff Ward, reviewing for the Herts Advertiser, was full of praise for SASO’s ‘Russian Highlights’ concert on May 12. He was delighted by Alissa’s Firsova’s “assured, fresh and polished performance” of Tchaikovsky’s mighty Piano Concerto...
Russian highlights! Star pianist Alissa Firsova plays Tchaikovsky with SASO 29th April 2018 - Multi-talented musician Alissa Firsova is ready to renew her collaboration with St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) on Saturday 12 May as soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 – claimed by some to be the...
SASO’s “thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining” evening of Dvorak and Vaughan-Williams 20th March 2018 - SASO’s Dvorak and Vaughan-Williams concert on March 10 in St Saviour’s Church was “thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining” according to Herts Advertiser critic John Manning. It included fine solo playing in V-W’s Five Variants of Dives...
SASO brings folkloric Dvorak and Vaughan Williams to the fore 27th February 2018 - Two favourite composers whose music displays a deep love of their respective countries’ folkloric traditions will feature in St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Saturday March 10 (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, AL1 4DF). Ralph Vaughan Williams made...
New Year Concert charity collection raises £896 19th January 2018 - Huge thanks go to the audience at our very successful New Year’s Day concert in St Albans Cathedral who generously contributed £896 to a retiring collection. This has been divided between two charities, Kidney Research...
Celebrate New Year with a whirlwind musical journey! 4th December 2017 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) plan to celebrate Monday January 1st 2018 with whirlwind musical journey that travels via France, America and even the fictional village of Ambridge (7pm, St Albans Cathedral). The itinerary for...
SASO 2017 children’s concerts both SOLD OUT! 6th November 2017 - Hundreds of noisy kids with their mums and dads are looking forward to a fun-packed introduction to classical music on Sunday 19 November when St Albans Symphony Orchestra performs its annual concerts for children (2pm...
“The resulting performance was first-class…” 25th October 2017 - The biennial St Cecilia Festival Concert, bringing together St Albans Symphony Orchestra with three local choirs in St Albans Cathedral on 14 October was musically first-class, according to the Herts Advertiser‘s music critic, John Manning....
St Cecilia Festival forces combine for a Russian spectacular 1st October 2017 - Friday 13th October 2017: We are sorry to announce that Anna Gorbachyova is unable to sing tomorrow evening. The soprano soloist will be Eldrydd Cynan Jones. St Albans Cathedral will reverberate with the sound of cannon-fire... SASO’s new season: from Russia’s steppes to America’s Wild West! 9th August 2017 - From Russian steppes to American cowboy country, the music chosen for St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-18 season travels from East to West and back again. The journey begins on Saturday 14 October with an all-Russian...
Clarinet star Emma Johnson to perform with SASO 9th June 2017 - Emma Johnson – acclaimed as “Britain’s favourite clarinettist”* – will be the celebrity soloist with St Albans Symphony Orchestra for their end-of-season summer concert on Saturday 24 June (7.30pm St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St...
Alissa Firsova and SASO to renew their performing partnership 30th April 2017 - The internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Alissa Firsova will renew her partnership with SASO on Saturday 6 May, performing the Piano Concerto No 1 by Brahms “He completely gripped the audience with the quality of his playing…” 20th March 2017 - All sections excelled in a fine performance of Prokofiev’s rugged and technically demanding Fifth Symphony on Saturday 11 March. But it was magnificent playing in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto by soloist David le Page that provided... SASO set to scale two towering peaks of Russian repertoire 24th February 2017 - Two towering peaks of Russian music – a world-favourite violin concerto and one of the greatest 20th century symphonies – are being brought together for St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Saturday 11 March (7.30pm,... “Dynamic Tom leads SASO into 2017 concert success…” 8th January 2017 - Critic Geoff Ward, writing in the Herts Advertiser, says he has never heard SASO play better than on January 2nd at its 2017 New Year Concert in St Albans Abbey. He praises the “sparkling” performance...
SASO prepares a musical firework display for New Year 19th December 2016 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) is preparing to detonate a fizzing mixture of musical fireworks to welcome New Year on Monday January 2nd at the Abbey (7pm). The bank holiday date may be unusual –...
‘Tom gets off to a flying start…’ as SASO’s new principal conductor 19th November 2016 - “New conductor Tom Hammond got St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s new season off to a fine start on Saturday (15 October) with a programme aimed to please,” says critic John Manning, writing in the Herts Advertiser....
SASO children’s concerts both sold out! 23rd October 2016 - Heavy demand for advance tickets mean that both SASO children’s concerts on Sunday November 6th have sold out. We look forward to seeing our capacity audiences on the day and apologise to anyone that was...
Autumn concert promises passion, fate and foreboding… 30th September 2016 - Passionate themes of love, fate and death dominate the opening concert of St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s new season – including final masterworks from the great romantic composers Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss (7.30pm, Saturday 15 October,...
Clarinet star Emma Johnson headlines SASO’s new season 18th August 2016 - International clarinet star Emma Johnson is among a series of musical treats lined up by St Albans Symphony Orchestra for its new season which starts this autumn. Celebrated since she became the first-ever winner of the...
“….excellent playing from all concerned” 30th June 2016 - SASO’s summer concert featuring Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No1 and the monumental Symphony No 5 by Mahler has been highly praised by John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser. Of the Mahler performance, he writes...
SASO summer concert mixes romance with passion, tragedy and loss 12th June 2016 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) promise a heady mixture of passion, joy and tragic loss at their summer concert – combining the romantic Cello Concerto No 1 by Camille Saint Saens with the searing intensity...
SASO plan to take audience on Elgar’s “passionate pilgrimage” 2nd May 2016 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) plans to transport its audience on a musical rollercoaster from exuberant joy to heartfelt grief when it performs Sir Edward Elgar’s Second Symphony in St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane on...
Tom Hammond to conduct SASO from 2016-17 18th April 2016 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) is delighted to announce the appointment of Tom Hammond as its new Principal Conductor. Tom succeeds Bjorn Bantock, who left last summer after five years in charge. He will starting...
Elgar Symphony No 2: workshop invitation to string players for 13th/14th May 2016 11th March 2016 - WEEKEND ORCHESTRAL WORKSHOP 2016 In memory of Babs Yule (1920-2010) Friday 13th May (7.30 to 10pm) & Saturday 14th May (10.30am to 8.30pm, including concert performance) at Townsend School, High Oaks, St Albans, AL3 6DR and St Saviour’s Church,...
Critics praises “dazzling” Mendelssohn concerto 10th March 2016 - John Manning, music critic for the Herts Advertiser, was impressed by rising violin start Cristian Grajner de Sa playing Mendelssohn’s Concerto on March 5th – and by SASO’s playing under guest conductor Leon Gee in...
Rising violin star to play Mendelssohn concerto at SASO’s March concert 29th February 2016 - One of Britain’s rising violin stars will play the hugely popular Mendelssohn Violin Concerto when St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) performs its early spring concert on Saturday March 5th (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, AL1 4DT)....
SASO’s New Year 2016 concert “a huge success”, declares critic 8th January 2016 - SASO’s New Year Concert for 2016 was “a huge success” according to John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser. His review notes that: “From the start with Saint-Saens’ rousing Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah it...
SASO’s New Year’s Day resolution is to “keep dancing”! 13th December 2015 - From the cha-cha-cha and Hungarian czardas, to the mambo and Viennese waltz, St Albans Symphony Orchestra intends to “keep dancing” at its annual New Years Day concert in St Albans Cathedral (7pm, Friday 1st January). ...
“…some truly great sounds”: critic praises SASO in Dvorak Requiem 5th November 2015 - “Few who heard it in St Albans Cathedral on Saturday could fail to agree that this powerful and dramatic work should be heard far more often” writes Herts Advertiser critic John Manning , reviewing the...
St Cecilia Festival seeks new friends for Dvorak’s neglected masterpiece 15th October 2015 - When Alex Flood raises his baton to conduct Dvorak’s Requiem in St Albans Cathedral on Saturday October 31st (7.30pm) it will be 125 years to the day since the great Czech composer completed the orchestration of one...
Wanted: Little Monsters (and other furry friends) for SASO’s children’s concerts 7th September 2015 - Little monsters (furry friends as well as fiends) are wanted on Sunday October 11th for St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s popular annual concerts for children (2pm repeated at 3.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans)....
“…one of the best performances…ever” 2nd July 2015 - SASO’s summer concert of English music was one of its best ever, according to John Manning, music reviewer for the Herts Advertiser. He reports that in a highly-polished account of Elgar’s Enigma Variations “every member...
SASO’s summer celebration of English music 15th June 2015 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) celebrates English music at its best for its summer concert on Saturday 27th June – with leader Jennifer Wigram and her son David both featuring as soloists (7.30pm St Saviour’s...
Bjorn Bantock leaving SASO after five years at the helm 7th June 2015 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) is preparing to appoint a new principal conductor, following a decision by Bjorn Bantock to step down next month after five years at the helm. Bjorn, 42, is credited with...
Vacancy for a Principal Conductor 22nd May 2015 - Bjorn Bantock will be leaving St Albans Symphony Orchestra at the end of its 2014/15 season, creating a vacancy for a Principal Conductor. The orchestra, which brings together amateur and semi-professional players, welcomes applications for...
Orchestra’s “all-Scandinavian success story” 21st May 2015 - Herts Advertiser critic, Geoff Ward reviewing SASO’s May 9th concert writes that the orchestra has “improved immeasurably under their dynamic conductor, Bjorn Bantock” “The concert began with the popular Karelia Suite, which was Sibelius’s first...
Grieg, Sibelius and Nielsen lead SASO’s Nordic spring celebration 19th April 2015 - Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto – popular even before Morecambe and Wise hilariously put “the right notes in the wrong order” – will provide the centrepiece of the St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s spring concert on Saturday...
Weekend workshop April 24/25th: Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra 22nd March 2015 - Friday 24th April (7.30pm to 10pm) & Saturday 25th April (10.30am to 6pm) 2015 Townsend School, High Oaks, St Albans, AL3 6DR WEEKEND ORCHESTRAL WORKSHOP In memory of Babs Yule (1920-2010) Witold Lutosławski: CONCERTO FOR...
SASO’s Beethoven “exciting and inspirational” says critic 19th March 2015 - Herts Advertiser critic, John Manning, believes SASO’s all-Beethoven concert was one of its best concerts ever. “With members of the Hertfordshire Chorus and other local choirs as well as a team of top class soloists,...
‘Choral’ Symphony promises a rousing end to SASO’s Beethoven cycle 18th February 2015 - Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony – among the greatest and most uplifting of all classical compositions – comes to St Albans Cathedral on Saturday March 7th (7.30pm) in a double bill with another of his best-loved works,...
“Passion in every note”: Rachmaninov at SASO’s New Year concert 8th January 2015 - Alissa Firsova’s performance of Rachmaninov’s ‘Paganini Rhapsody’ at SASO 2015 New Year Concert won high critical praise. According to John Manning, writing in the Herts Advertiser, she “breathed expression and feeling into every one of...
SASO raises more than £1,370 for charities 7th January 2015 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra collected more than £1,370 for charities over the Christmas and New Year period thanks to generosity of its audiences – and festive shoppers in the city centre. Before Christmas, the orchestra’s...
SASO serves-up a winter warmer for New Year 14th December 2014 - Sleigh bells will jingle all the way when St Albans Symphony Orchestra bid a snowy welcome to 2015 at their traditional New Year Family Concert (7pm, Thursday January 1st, St Albans Abbey). The programme features...
Reviewer hails “dazzling” Korngold at SASO’s autumn concert 28th November 2014 - John Manning, reviewer for the Herts Advertiser, found the performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto by 25-year old virtuoso Adelia Myslov with SASO “dazzling”, “fluent” and “full of expression” bringing tremendous life to an increasingly popular...
Rising stars to shine at SASO’s autumn concert 9th November 2014 - An acclaimed young violin virtuoso takes centre stage at St Albans Symphony’s Orchestra’s autumn concert on Saturday 22nd November playing a concerto that is itself a rising star of the music world (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church,...
Monster mayhem and mystery at SASO children’s concerts 8th October 2014 - Little monsters are invited to put on their best fancy dress and indulge in a spot of musical mayhem on Sunday October 12th at one of St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s popular annual concerts for children...
Kieran McGuirk 1949-2014 20th September 2014 - With great sadness, St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) records the death of its chair, Kieran McGuirk, aged 65. An accomplished musician, Kieran not only played violin with SASO for more than a decade, but also...
“Remarkable” Rachmaninov provides the triumphant climax to SASO’s season 2nd July 2014 - John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser, was bowled over by Alissa Firsova’s thrilling performance of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto on June 28th that brought SASO’s 2013/14 season to a triumphant conclusion. He writes:...
‘Rising star’ returns to partner SASO in Rachmaninov 16th June 2014 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) ends its season with a rousing summer finale on Saturday 28th June performing Beethoven’s sunny Symphony No 8 and Rachmaninov’s spectacular Third Piano Concerto (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans). The Rachmaninov...
“The whole concert was a delight…” 15th May 2014 - Critic Geoff Ward, writing in the Herts Advertiser, says that he has never heard SASO play better than at its ‘Orchestral Colours’ concert in St Saviour’s Church on May 10th. He praises an “impeccable” brass...
SASO’s colourful spring bouquet… 30th April 2014 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) is set to celebrate spring on Saturday May 10th with music exhibiting a palette of exotic orchestral colours – including Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov’s magical portrayal of tales from the Arabian Nights (7.30pm,...
“Completely dazzling” – critic praises Mendelssohn and Strauss concert 13th March 2014 - John Manning, critic of the Herts Advertiser, found Charlotte Scott’s performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at SASO’s March 8th concert “breathtaking” . He as also full of praise for the orchestra’s playing in Strauss’s...
SASO seeks new heights with Mendelssohn and Strauss 24th February 2014 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra are set to perform one of their most ambitious programmes on Saturday March 8th, matching an all-time favourite violin concerto with a spectacular symphony composed on an epic scale (St Albans...
“…a tremendous evening with some outstanding performances…” 10th January 2014 - SASO ‘Music from the Movies’ concert “proved once more that the Abbey and St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s traditional concert is the place to be on January 1,” according to John Manning, music critic of the...
SASO celebrates New Year with music from the movies 16th December 2013 - James Bond, The Little Mermaid, Superman and the Pirates of the Caribbean will be helping St Albans Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the start of 2014 with a musical trip to the movies. The orchestra’s traditional New Years Day family concert...
Musical mayhem for kids at SASO’s children’s concerts 29th October 2013 - Noisy kids can look forward to fancy dress and musical mayhem on Sunday November 17th at St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s two annual concerts for children (2pm & 3.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans)....
Choirs join forces with SASO for Brahms Requiem 14th October 2013 - Three choirs and two internationally-acclaimed soloists will join forces with SASO on Saturday 26th October to perform the German Requiem by Johannes Brahms – a heartfelt setting of biblical texts about death by a composer who was...
Workshop tackles the mighty ‘Leningrad’ Symphony 13th September 2013 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra has successfully brought together more than 90 musicians to take part in an epic musical commemoration of the invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The weekend...
Festival Concert ‘a tour de force’, says critic 13th June 2013 - SASO’s Festival Concert featuring Holst’s Planets Suite and soloist Giovanni Re in Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto was “a real tour de force” according to John Manning, music critic of the Herts Advertiser. Writing in the 13th...
SASO’s summer concert sets course for ‘The Planets’ 27th May 2013 - Almost a century after its was written, St Albans Abbey will reverberate to the sounds of Gustav Holst’s celestial Planets suite, performed by St Albans Symphony Orchestra as part of its yearly festival concert on Saturday 8th June...
SASO to launch Summer Music festival 12th May 2013 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra is to perform the opening concert for St Albans Summer Music: a month-long series of classical concerts, folk music and dance events. The programme under Principal Conductor Bjorn Bantock is on Saturday 8th...
SASO “in Seventh Heaven,” says critic 8th May 2013 - The Herts Advertiser was full of praise for SASO’s ‘Beethoven’s Seventh’ concert on April 27th: “St Albans Symphony Orchestra continued their progression through the symphonies of Beethoven in their concert last night at St. Saviour’s with...
Hanja and Bjorn team up for romantic concerto 23rd March 2013 - An unashamedly romantic piano concerto will bring together piano soloist Hanja Bantock with her conductor husband Bjorn for a concert with St Albans Symphony Orchestra on Saturday 27th April (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane,...
Magnus Johnston to interpret Beethoven’s masterpiece for violin 27th January 2013 - The Harpenden-born violinist Magnus Johnston makes a welcome return to St Albans music-making on March 9th in an early spring concert that promises to banish winter blues with brilliant masterpieces of orchestra colouring. (7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit...
Romantic classics to start the New Year! 12th November 2012 - Make a romantic start to 2013 with the St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s New Year Concert! Our traditional family event in St Albans Abbey features classics that are guaranteed to bring a warm glow to the...
SASO musician reveals his heroic tenor identity! 29th October 2012 - Jonathan Finney is a valued viola player with St Albans Symphony (SASO). But on Saturday November 10th he will reveal another identity as operatic superhero, singing the role of Siegmund in a scene from Wagner’s...
Noisy kids wanted for SASO’s musical fancy-dress party! 8th October 2012 - Children of all ages will be able to experience the thrilling sound of a symphony orchestra in full cry!
Legacy helps SASO to scale the Alpine Symphony’s heights 17th September 2012 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) has celebrated the life of a woman known to many in the city as ‘”the little lady on the bicycle” by performing one of the biggest and loudest pieces of...
Festival Concert is a family affair for SASO’s conductor 7th June 2012 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s Festival Concert promises to be a family affair on Saturday 23rd June when conductor Bjorn Bantock leads the performers in music composed 80 years ago by his great-grandfather, Sir Granville Bantock...
Conductors wield the cake knife at SASO’s 80th birthday party 6th May 2012 - Three conductors helped St Albans Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 80th anniversary last week together with violinist Jennifer Wigram – the orchestra’s leader who has worked with all of them during the past 30 years....
SASO celebrates 80 years of music-making with top-ten classics 16th April 2012 - St Albans Symphony Orchestra is to celebrate its 80th anniversary by performing two of Britain’s best-loved classics: Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto and the Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven (7.30pm, Saturday 28th April, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans). The young Russian-born virtuoso Alissa Firsova will...
St Albans and Watford forces combine to perform Verdi’s searing Requiem 10th March 2012 - The musical forces of St Albans Symphony Orchestra and the Watford Philharmonic Society join together this month to perform Verdi’s blazing Requiem –the most famously spine-tingling of all settings of the Latin funeral mass (7.30pm,...
Donors invited to bang the drum for SASO 7th September 2011 - Conductor Bjorn Bantock (with SASO percussioni Kieran McGuirk) needs a bigger drum to bash. St Albans Symphony Orchestra is promising music lovers plenty of boom for their bucks if they contribute to a campaign to...
ORCHESTRA RAISES RECORD SUMS FOR CHARITY 7th March 2011 - As published in the letters column of the Herts Advertiser: Dear Editor We would like to thank warmly, through your columns, everyone who contributed so generously to three different Christmas and New Year charity collections...
Dear Santa…. please bring Bjorn a groovy güiro! 7th December 2010 - Urgent message for Santa: aftershave and novelty socks won’t do for conductor Bjorn Bantock as he prepares to conduct his first New Year’s Day concert in St Albans Abbey. What he really needs for Christmas...
Anything but a quiet life… 7th September 2010 - Bjorn Bantock, SASO’s new conductor, looks forward to the orchestra’s 2010-11 season Despite an increasingly successful international career, Bjorn Bantock, who has been appointed Principal Conductor of the St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) for its...
Conductor James Ross to leave SASO after nine years of achievement 7th June 2010 - Conductor James Ross, who has led St Albans Symphony Orchestra’s to new heights of achievement is to leave the orchestra when its season ends in July. After nine years at the helm, he has decided...