2018 was always going to be a special year for members of the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra. The musical ensemble first started performing together in 1993, meaning this year was their 25th anniversary.

The orchestra celebrated their landmark anniversary with a concert earlier this summer which has proven a catalyst in exciting musical developments for children in the Forest of Dean area. Viv Hargreaves, Vice Chairman of the orchestra, says the concert was one of the highlights of her year. She said: “It was an evening that will stay in the memory for a very long time. The performances were outstanding, and it was very special to welcome back so many familiar faces who have played in the orchestra at some stage during the last 25 years. Adam Heron, an outstanding young pianist, performed with such skill and passion. We were also particularly proud of Freya Ireland who wrote a piece of music especially for the concert.

“We were honoured to host Dame Janet Trotter as well as Marrilyn Smart, the chairman of the Forest of Dean District Council. It was a poignant evening because our performance was one of the last to be held at the Forest Theatre before its closure. We’ve played there many times over the years and it’s sad to think we may never get the opportunity to again.

“One of the great things to come off the back of the concert is the exciting plans we have to increase our presence in schools in the Forest of Dean. Up-and-coming composer Freya Ireland is very keen to run symphonic workshops, teaching children how to write music. We’d like to arrange the lessons for the start of the new school year which is very exciting. Our aim is to inspire the next generation of musicians in the Forest of Dean area.”

In further exciting developments, Viv also revealed plans to re-launch a popular children’s concert. She explained: “We have run children’s concerts in the past, but it’s been a few years since our last one, so we’re delighted to announce that our 2018 children’s concert will be held at Coleford Baptist Church on 8th December. The concert will involve children from St John’s Church of England Academy in Coleford. The children will be singing carols while our orchestra are playing, it will be a fantastic event. There will also be music from ‘The Nutcracker Suite’.

“The orchestra is really going places. We want to carry on building on the momentum of our great anniversary performance and really strive for greater success in the months and years ahead.”