Next Concert:

Blockbusters!

FULL CONCERT PROGRAMME

Music from Movies, Musicals and Gaming

 

CONDUCTOR

Alistair Gibson

DATE

Saturday 14 December 2024, 7.30pm

VENUE

New Auditorium GRCH

TICKETS

£15 and £5, booking fees apply

GOS News

People Make GOS!

April 2024

Out of the blue, at the end of our concert in December, one of our long-standing members announced that he had decided to ‘retire’.  Donald Gibson was a member of the orchestra for 37 years, playing in the Second Violin section. And his reason for retiiring?

‘as there is a waiting list for the orchestra I gladly step down to enable a younger person to have the thrills I have had over the last 37 years’

Donald’s time in the orchestra was not just about playing but was marked by his unstinting willingness to help in any capacity he could. For 20 years he was a selfless Secretary of the Orchestra, dealing with the many administrative tasks which enable the orchestra to function, communicating with members, booking venues, compiling programmes, ordering printing, dealing with enquiries and much more.

He was always on hand to drive vans with equipment, to set up for rehearsals, and was for many years usually last to leave the building as he ensured all the orchestra equipment was securely stored and premises left as it should be.

The orchestra showed its gratitude for Donald’s time in the orchestra at the Civic Dinner given in Glasgow City Chambers by the Lord Provost Jaqueline McLaren in March last year, when he received a certificate to mark his selfless work for GOS over many years.

And at our March concert this year after his retiral, Donald was there in the New Auditorium helping our other volunteers to give out programmes and sell raffle tickets! Thank you again Donald!

EXHIBITION AT KELVINGROVE OPENS CELEBRATING GOS AT 150

Mar 2022

Now open at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, this exhibition in the Community Gallery space shows what being a member of GOS is like and why we love making music together!

GOS News

EXHIBITION AT KELVINGROVE OPENS CELEBRATING GOS AT 150>

Mar 2022

Now open at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, this exhibition in the Community Gallery space shows what being a member of GOS is like and why we love making music together!



About us

Glasgow Orchestral Society, founded in 1870, is a symphony orchestra with about 80 members. Our repertoire is wide and we perfrom music from the classical era to the present day including new works, most recently by Joshua Brown as part of Making Music's Adopt A Music Creator Scheme 2022, And we occasionally perform choral works with local choirs - in March 2023 we gave a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No 9 (Choral) along with the City of Glasgow Chorus.

We invite different conductors for our concerts, each bringing their own personality and distinctive style to our rehearsals and performances. And we are non-auditioning, enjoying making music to the highest standards while having as much fun as possible in the process!

We give four concerts a year and rehearse weekly on Monday evenings from 7.15pm to 9.45pm, from September to May, in Maryhill Burgh Halls, 45 Gairbraid Avenue, G20 8YE

The Orchestra has just finished celebrating its delayed 150th anniversary season with a four venue Tour of Scotland in July, playing Saint-Saens Symphony No 3 (Organ) in four different venues with four different organists, a spectacular end to an amazing year!




  • Founded 29 December 1870

    The Glasgow Amateur Orchestral Society was founded at a meeting at 37 Sauchiehall Street, “for the study and practice of orchestral music” and “practisings” were held in The Halls at 285 Bath Street.

  • 25 April 1871

    The first concert took place in the Queen’s Rooms, conducted by HD Mehul, nephew of the French composer Etienne Mehul (1763-1817)

  • 1885-86

    The orchestra was foundering and amalgamated with another struggling group, the Glasgow Southern Orchestral Society.

    Women musicians were admitted for the first time as full playing (and paying) members.

  • 1901 The Glasgow International Exhibition

    The orchestra performed two concerts as part of the official programme of events.

  • 1914 – 1918 The Great War

    The orchestra continued to rehearse and perform but abandoned its activities in 1916 and did not reconvene until 1919

  • 1930 Diamond Jubilee

    There were no celebrations planned for the Golden Jubilee because of the impact of the war but a significant celebration took place in 1930, including a civic reception with the Lord Provost present.

  • 1959 Glasgow Orchestral Society

    The Society was renamed Glasgow Orchestral Society, dropping the term “amateur “ from its title.

  • 26 October 1962 The Saint Andrew’s Halls destroyed by fire

    The blaze in the orchestra’s permanent home destroyed the Society’s extensive music library, most of its document archive and four double basses, one cello, one viola, a trombone, and all percussion apart from the timps.

  • 1970-71

    The orchestra celebrated its centenary.

  • 2013 First orchestral playing Tour abroad

    The tour took the orchestra to Umbria in Italy, with concerts in Chiusi, Gubbio, and Perugia

  • 2015-16 One hundred years of women members

    Celebrated in all four concerts with women playing in the ranks, as soloists, and as conductor.

  • 2016 Second Tour to Czech Republic

    Concerts in Marianske Lazne, Pilsen and Prague

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What's on

Sunday 27th October 2024 7.30pm

Sherbrooke-Mosspark Church

Conductor Susannah Wapshott

Soloist Alice Allen

MacKenzie - A Nautical Overture
Josh Brown - Cello Concerto Premiere
Mendelssohn – Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 4

Saturday 14th December 2024 7.30pm

New Auditorium GRCH

Conductor Alistair Gibson

Music from The Movies/Musicals – Blockbusters

Saturday 15 March 2025 7.30pm

New Auditorium GRCH

Conductor Stephen Broad
Soloist Sofiia Shokhina

Mussorgsky - Night on a Bare Mountain
Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No 2
Shostakovich - Symphony No 5

Saturday 17th May 2025 7.30pm

Sherbrooke-Mosspark Church

Conductor Nicholas Wilks

GOS Soloist Stephanie Dancer

Beethoven - Leonora No 3
HenrieUe Bosmans - Bassoon Concerto no 2
Brahms - Symphony No 3

 


Download a full history of past concerts



Members

REHEARSALS

Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings from 7:15pm to 9:45pm in Maryhill Burgh Halls (45 Gairbraid Avenue G20 8YE).  

SUBSCRIPTIONS

  • Full annual subscription: £160 (early bird discount during September £150)
  • Students and unemployed: £50
  • Guest players £35

NEW SEASON

Concerts 2024-2025

Sunday 27 October 2024 

Saturday 14 December 2024

Saturday15 March 2025 

Saturday 17 May 2025
 

Download the Members’ Handbook here

Kettle drum and drum sticks


Join Us

We do not formally audition, but you should be of at least Associated Board Grade 7 standard or higher, with relevant orchestral playing experience. And you should have enough free time and be prepared to practise your parts at home between rehearsals.

New members will be invited to attend rehearsals and perform in two concerts and the committee will then decide, in consultation with the relevant section leader, to invite you to join the orchestra for the longer term.

You will be asked to pay 50% of the annual subscription for the first concert, the balance of the year's subscription to be paid on mutually satisfactory completion of the first term.

Non-playing friends are also invited to get involved in our activities.

Vacancies

Generally new players are welcome if we have places.  Please get in touch if you would like to discuss current vacancies.

admin@gos.org.uk

Get Involved

You can help play a part in making GOS a success in many ways:

  • Attend our concerts regularly!
  • Volunteer to help with non-playing tasks: eg finding sponsorship, marketing/ advertising our concerts, selling advertising space in our programmes
  • Sponsor a musician, a soloist, a piece of music, or even a concert
  • Advertise your organisation or business in our programmes

You could also sign up to Easyfundraising to raise funds for us when you shop online with major retailers and travel companies: www.easyfundraising.org.uk



Contact us / Join Mailing List

admin@gos.org.uk

 

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