By Emma Creasey, secretary of The Gifford Ensemble.
Do you like playing classical music and live in the Filton and Bradley Stoke area? If so then The Gifford Ensemble might be for you!
We started up in September 2018, when local residents, realising there was no local orchestra for the Stokes area, decided they’d better start one. We gave our first informal concert in March 2019 to an appreciative audience of friends and family.
A second concert in October established the group, now newly branded as the ‘Gifford Ensemble’, as a welcome provider of accessible classical music (and cake!) to the local community.
The Ensemble is currently small, but our ambition is to grow into a full orchestra. We are looking for players of Grade 7 or equivalent standard, particularly strings. If you’re interested, please get in touch and come for a trial rehearsal – it’s a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere with an emphasis on enjoying the music.
Rehearsals are at 7.15pm on Sunday nights in the Trust Hall, North Road, Stoke Gifford BS34 8PE. Members pay £4 per rehearsal to cover venue hire costs – but we hope to reduce that as our membership grows.
You can find out more – and hear some live recording of our playing – on our Facebook page. If you’d like to get in touch, then please call or text Cathy on 07528 172228, or email Emma on secretary@giffordensemble.uk
We look forward to meeting you!
Photo: Members of The Gifford Ensemble at a rehearsal.
This article originally appeared in the February 2020 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 27). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
