Rehearsal Orchestra

The golden brass bell of a French horn, resting on a player's lap, sparkling with reflected lights and an upside-down reflection of the surrounding room.

Fancy going off-piste? Seeking players for the off-stage brass (HORNS, TRUMPET, TROMBONE) for our course on Strauss's epic Alpine Symphony! Central London, Sunday 15th March, 5pm-7pm. Vacancies in the main orchestra: STRINGS (Sat-Sun) & PERCUSSION (Sun).
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses/stra...

A headshot of Michael Coleby, who has short dark hair. He is gazing into the distance slightly to his left, wearing a black T-shirt, against an early-autumn parkland background.

We caught up with conductor Michael Coleby for a mini interview ahead of his Rehearsal Orchestra debut this Sunday!
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/about/latest...

A violin student playing with steely focus in an orchestra rehearsal.

We're giving you a rare chance to work on Bartók's dazzling 'The Wooden Prince' Suite at our course in central London on Sunday 8th February!
Current vacancies: VIOLIN, CELLO, TRUMPET, TENOR TROMBONE, PERCUSSION and CELESTA - get in touch!
APPLY NOW 👉 www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses/bart...

A graphic of a smartphone and a brown paper bag filled with groceries, with the Rehearsal Orchestra logo. Text reads: Raise cashback as donations for us on your online grocery shop. Logos of Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Iceland, Ocado, Asda, Co-op at the bottom.

Turn your everyday purchases into free donations to support our charitable work! Here's how: www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/support/rais...

Nominate now! - Movement for Good awards We could receive a £1,000 donation with your help throught the Movement for Good 12 Days Christmas Draw.

If you haven't yet nominated us for Movement for Good's charity prize draws this calendar year, please take a minute to do so now - their festive draws of 120 x £1,000 grants start tomorrow!
movementforgood.com/index.php?cn...

Courses - Rehearsal Orchestra Explore our current season of orchestral courses in the UK for future professionals and serious amateurs.

There are still places available for our 2026 weekend courses, so check out the programme and apply now! www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses/

Benjamin Draper standing on a podium, conducting with elbows at shoulder height and hands raised. Viewed from next to the First Violins, the orchestra fills the entire school hall they are rehearsing in. Behind the orchestra are full-length windows; it is dark outside. There is colourful bunting above the stage at the other end of the hall.

A view towards the conductor from behind the double-bass and cello sections. Giuseppe Stillitano is conducting at waist height, wearing a jacket and a shirt. There is a large and colourful school artwork next to him on the wall.

Yi-Chuan Chen standing on a podium, conducting with arms at shoulder height. Viewed from next to the Cellos, the orchestra fills the entire school hall they are rehearsing in. Behind the orchestra are full-length windows; it is dark outside. High on the wall next to them is a row of large eighteenth-century portraits.

Two weeks ago our new season got off to a brilliant start with a Shostakovich 5 conducting workshop where welcomed Benjamin Draper, Giuseppe Stillitano, Yi-Chuan Chen & Wooju Baik from @rcmlondon.bsky.social, working under the supervision of RO Artistic Director @levparikian.bsky.social. What a day!

A half-portrait of Benjamin Draper in an urban street, holding his baton upside down by the tip, seemingly contemplating it. He is wearing a loose bright red shirt, top button open, with a white T-shirt underneath. There are some out-of-focus flowers in a planter in the foreground, and some graffiti on a wall in the background.

Introducing Benjamin Draper: meet the young conductors taking part in our Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 conducting workshop this Sunday.
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/about/latest...

A sideways half-portrait of Yi-Chuan Chen. His left elbow rests on his thigh, and his chin on his hand, which holds the baton, downwards, in a casual grip. His face, hand and shirt front are lit by a light source from the right, in dramatic contrast to the shadow created elsewhere and dark grey background.

Introducing Yi-Chuan Chen: meet the young conductors taking part in our Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 conducting workshop this Sunday.
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/about/latest...

A photo portrait of conductor Giuseppe Stillitano, leaning towards the camera over a polished dark wood table in an eighteenth-century Italian interior. His baton rests on the table in front of him, near his right hand. His left hand is raised, index finger across his right cheek. He is is gazing directly into the camera. He is wearing an ink blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a bow tie. The frame of his glasses picks up the honey shades of the background.

Introducing Giuseppe Stillitano: meet the young conductors taking part in our Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 conducting workshop this Sunday.
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/about/latest...

Headshot of Wooju Baik, dressed in all-black turtleneck jumper against a grey background. He is facing the camera directly, but is looking to his right with a very sideways glance.

Introducing Wooju Baik: Meet the young conductors taking part in our Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 conducting workshop next Sunday
www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/about/latest...

A screenshot of the top of the homepage: Welcome to the Rehearsal Orchestra. Learn more about us. Develop your skills on a Rehearsal Orchestra course. The main purpose of all our activities is, our name implies, the process of rehearsal. Whether you're current or recent student, retired professional or a fine amateur player... "I recommend the RO to anyone looking to learn orchestral parts in a professional-style environment. It's so well run it feels like sitting in a professional orchestra but the conductors always smile!"

Our shiny new website is here - and so is our shiny new weekend course season! Applications are open, so be sure to send in yours now! www.rehearsal-orchestra.org

Huge thanks to all the brilliant people at Wild Dog Design with whom we've been working on the new site over the past year!

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PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO HELP US WIN! £5,000 would make a huge difference to our work in nurturing orchestral musicians. It could fund our Play ON and Co-Principal bursary schemes for a year – or cover most of our annual music and instrument hire costs.
culture.movementforgood.com/index.php?cn...

"Hensel wrote more than 466 numbered works, that we know about, and when I started looking at her, only a couple dozen of them were available online. … I think, now, I have something like 185 of my own editions of the scores on there (henselpushers.com)." - @henselpushers.bsky.social Incredible!

Rehearsal Orchestra's Edinburgh course has run every August since 1957 (except 2020 & 2021) and has enabled generations of musicians to develop their orchestral skills.

"The Rehearsal Orchestra does invaluable work on the quiet and with the minimum of fuss."
Sir Simon Rattle

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The pieces to be worked on have been voted by the course participants from the huge amount of repertoire covered during the week, and will include selections from Prokofiev (Romeo and Juliet), Shostakovich (Symphony No. 1), Hermann (Vertigo) and Brahms (Symphony No. 1).

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Orchestra in rehearsal in a hall with a dark high ceiling and rows of bright spotlights. The conductor standing on the podium, with both his arms raised high, turned towards the violins and horns. In the foreground is a harpist and violinists seen from behind.

And just like that, our Edinburgh week 2025 is nearly over!
But you can see Rehearsal Orchestra at work in tomorrow's Open Rehearsal:

Friday 8th August, 2pm-4pm in the School Hall, George Heriot's School, Lauriston Place (entry via The Vennel gate), Edinburgh EH3 9EQ. WELCOME!
FREE ADMISSION

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Please get in touch ASAP if you are interested in playing, at admin@rehearsal-orchestra.org ! If you could only do some of the days, drop us a line to discuss and for more detailed information on session times.

Bernstein - Candide Overture
Bliss - Colour Symphony
Dvořák - Carnival Overture
Gershwin - Tip-Toes Overture
Herrmann - Vertigo Concert Suite
Holmès - La Nuit et l’Amour
Lutosławski - Symphony No. 1
Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet Suite No 2
Ravel - Daphnis & Chloé, Suite 2
Shostakovich - Symphony No 1

A harpist's hands playing.

LAST-MINUTE PLACE: HARP! Our annual Edinburgh course from this Saturday 2nd August to Friday 8th August (leaving Saturday morning). Accommodation is available.

It's a week of amazing repertoire (full list for harp and more information in thread).

Thanks for sharing!

A view of the orchestra during the open rehearsal, pictured from the First Violin side - some dynamic bowing in progress! Artistic Director Lev Parikian conducting from the podium, cueing with his left hand.

A close view of the car horn player in Gershwin's An American in Paris.

A view of the whole orchestra from the gallery, above the double basses.

A view of the woodwind and brass sections, with saxophones in the foreground.

A fortnight ago we shunned the London sunshine and closed our weekend-course season with musical trips to two other capital cities in Duke Ellington's Harlem & Gershwin's An American in Paris, with Artistic Director @levparikian.bsky.social as our guide - and what a fantastic journey it was!

A rocket graphic, with the text "We're doubling the money in our next draw." Logos for the Benefact Group and their Movement for Good.

If you haven't already nominated RO for the Benefact Group's 2025 Movement for Good regular draws, now is the perfect time - £2,000 would be a massive help to our charitable work in nurturing orchestral musicians. It's very quick and easy to nominate!
👉 movementforgood.com/index.php?cn...

My new answer to any and all questions in rehearsal.

Four car horns on a stand in front of a music stand with a percussion part for Gershwin’s An American in Paris.

Two saxophones and a clarinet on their stands

A hugely enjoyable day with @rehorch.bsky.social. An American in Paris is always fun, but the highlight was conducting Duke Ellington’s Harlem for the first time and discovering first-hand what a cracking piece it is. Should be done far more often.

This is now sorted - thanks for your help!

Two double-bass players at rehearsal, discussing a musical point in their part during a break in play.

A DOUBLE BASS has had to withdraw on short notice from this Sunday's course on Ellington HARLEM and Gershwin AN AMERICAN IN PARIS in central London (Henry Wood Hall) - could you join us? Get in touch!
👉 www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses#cour...

Three student trombonists playing in an orchestra.

We still have a vacancy for a TENOR TROMBONE for our Ellington & Gershwin course in central London this Sunday (29th). We can also fit in a few more STRINGS (if you're quick) - get in touch now!
Some student bursary funding is available.
👉 www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses#cour...

What a lovely thing!

Photo: Tam Lan Truong (Tam Photography)

A half-portrait photo of Johann Stuckenbruck, showing him during an intensely internal moment whilst conducting, eyes closed, hands drawing in to gather momentum. He is wearing a black shirt against a dark blue background, a spotlight creating a chiaroscuro effect on his features and clothing.

Sharing conducting duties at our Edinburgh residential course this August is Johann Stuckenbruck, announced last week as the new Music Director of l’Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (OSSLSJ) from 2025/26!
jstuckenbruck.com