EUMS Symphony Orchestra

Auditions Yes
Rehearsal Space Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square
Rehearsal Time Mondays 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Contact symphony@eums.org.uk

 
The EUMS Symphony Orchestra is one of the largest and oldest orchestras in Scotland. It is the society’s only fully auditioned ensemble.

Conducted by the ever passionate Russell Cowieson, the orchestra aims to provide students with the opportunity to play large-scale orchestral works to a very high standard. Concerts are given at the end of each semester in various locations around Edinburgh, including Greyfriars Kirk and St Mary’s Cathedral and recent performances have included Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. and Mahler’s 9th Symphony. Feel free to have a listen to an excerpt from one of our concert recordings on Last.fm.

Every two years the orchestra teams up with the EUMS Chorus to perform large scale orchestral and choral works in one of its concerts. Recent examples of this include Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and Verdi’s Requiem with soloists from within the music society as well as professional singers. Last year Symphony Orchestra teamed up with the Chorus to perform The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins, which included an added visual media element.

As a group of musicians, Symphony Orchestra has a diverse membership and strong engagement with the wider community. For example, this year the orchestra comprises of players from countries including the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the USA and Canada. Through both our education projects (the latest of which successfully took place in February this year) and our outreach programs, the orchestra commits itself to helping communicate the benefits and delights of classical music to as many people as possible.  In 2015 this has included a grand rendition of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite with over 200 children in Dundee’s Caird Hall as part of a specially commissioned youth dance performance.

For further details please feel free to contact our Symphony Manager at symphony@eums.org.uk.

Read about our other ensembles:

  • Chorus, an non-auditioned choir of over 100 people.
  • Sinfonia, an auditioned orchestra (apart from the string section, which is non-auditioning).