As part of the planned expansion of our concert series, Oxford Phil needs new, large venues to play in. With this in mind, we are very pleased to have been invited to become the first 'Orchestra in Association' at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre which seats over 1200. Our debut orchestral concert will be on 11 March 2011, and will be preceded by a schools workshop at the theatre in the afternoon. You may remember that in August 2010 we were invited to carry out two days of acoustic testing by the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. The building had not yet been fully commissioned so hard hats and safety waistcoats were worn!

As part of our connection with the community in Aylesbury, we are forgin strong links with Aylesbury Academy, a former 'failing school', where we plan a week-long music-based project in July for student groups which, unusually, will contain a mixture of ages and abilities. This is part of their annual 'enrichment week' of non-timetabled activities: the them is 'Life in Quarrendon medieval village' which is sited next to the school's proposed new builindg. We are also planning to put on a schools concert (Instruments of the Orchestra, for year 7s) and to play for a major choral concert involving the two major Aylesbury amateur choirs, both events at the theatre, and under the umbrella of the newly-formed Aylesbury Festival in July 2011.

Oxford Philomusica's debut concert at the Aylesbury takes place on Friday 11 March 2011 at 7.30pm. We will present two late 19th century masterpieces: Brahms' virtuosic Violin Concerto with its dancing 'gypsy' finale, performed by Jennifer Pike, 2002 BBC Young Musician of the YEar; and Edward Elgar's ever-popular Engima Variations.