Cambridge Philharmonic

The Cambridge Philharmonic, founded in 1887, is one of Britain's oldest and most distinguished music societies. With a full symphony orchestra and a large chorus, the Cambridge Philharmonic presents an annual concert series in Kings College Chapel, Ely Cathedral and the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge.

The Cambridge Philharmonic works with an enviable roster of soloists, including in recent seasons, instrumentalists such as Natalie Clein, Alison Balsom, Mark Simpson and Martin Roscoe and singers Joan Rodgers, Emma Bell, Roderick Williams and Jacques Imbrailo. This has been a long tradition of the Philharmonic and in previous decades, artists including Philip Langridge, Peter Pears, Philip Jones and Kathleen Ferrier all performed with the Society. Principal and guest conductors have included Sir David Willcocks, Stephen Cleobury, Raymond Leppard and Thomas Ades.

Under their current principal conductor and music director, Timothy Redmond, the Cambridge Philharmonic has developed and expanded its repertoire to include annual opera performances, family concerts and a focus on contemporary music. Critically-acclaimed performances of repertoire as diverse as Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Bernstein's Candide, Verdi's La Traviata and Mahler's Second Symphony have given the Cambridge Philharmonic a profile that extends far beyond its home town.

In addition to its regular performances in the UK, the Cambridge Philharmonic has appeared at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and Prague's Rudolfinum Concert Hall. The Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra reached an even wider audience when they recorded Ryan Teague's album Coins and Crosses, which has been featured on BBC radio and TV and heard on radio stations worldwide.

Rehearsals are held throughout the year in term time, usually at Chesterton Community College, Gilbert Road. The orchestra rehearses on Mondays from 7.15-9.45pm, and the chorus on Tuesdays from 7.30-9.45pm.