About
The Community Orchestra for Cambridge
Our Beginnings
The Mawson Road Community Orchestra (MRCO) was founded in the summer of 2012 to play at the local street party in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The weather that day was not great but the musicians managed to play their programme without getting soaked and the performance was covered on local television. This led to more invitations to play and the foundation of a community orchestra for Cambridge. The orchestra welcomes anyone who can play an acoustic instrument and read music. Its players now come from Mawson Road and well beyond.
Our Music
There are no auditions and the musical arrangements are made specifically for the orchestra. Michael Copley, the Musical Director, appreciates the relative playing standards of the musicians and writes parts that are approachable and encourage good musical development. We play a blend of well-known classical music and some unusual folk pieces from different parts of the world. At recent concerts we have played pieces by Beethoven, Ravel, Bizet, Handel, Offenbach and Verdi, alongside traditional Ukrainian melodies and a dance composed by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz.
Rehearsals and Performance
We rehearse every Sunday in term-time at St John’s Church where we also perform our concerts. Our aim is to give two main concerts each year. In addition we may receive invitations to play at events in the locality. The Church provides an excellent venue and we much appreciate the facilities and the warm welcome we have received from St John’s. So far, we have performed two very successful concerts here and are currently working on our programme for the next one on Saturday 2nd December. Make a note in your diary to come and hear us. The proceeds of all of our concerts are given to different charities.
Like to join us?
At the moment, we are particularly keen to recruit more string players, in particular violas and violins. We would also welcome more brass instruments. The atmosphere is very friendly and informal and you will be sure of a warm welcome if you come to join us.
View the photos from above (and a few more) in the gallery:
