The Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.

The orchestra, which is made up of amateur musicians from around the county, is currently about half way through their 2018-2019 season of concerts, which will culminate with a special performance to celebrate the milestone.

Committee member and trombone player David Todd has a long history with the orchestra, stemming from when he first left his native Ayrshire.

He said: “I moved to Gloucestershire in the 1970s and began playing with the group then, when they were under a different name.

“Then after several years I had a little bit of a break and re-joined in the late 90s. So it’s been over 20 years now.”

The group rounded off 2018 with three successful concerts, which included being invited to play at Gloucester Cathedral, and their annual trip to Pershore Abbey to raise money for the Farmers Overseas Action Group.

Saturday 9th February sees the first of the orchestra’s three-part Spring series at the Pittville Pump Room, their first concert of 2019.

“The series is called ‘The Grand Tour’ after the original pieces,” David explained. “We’ll be performing three works that span the whole gamut of German Romanticism.

“The pieces will be Mozart’s last and greatest symphony, ‘Jupiter’, the greatest musical expression of romantic love and passion in Wagner’s ‘Prelude and Liebestod’ and the haunting beauty of the ‘Four Last Songs’ of Richard Strauss, which will be sung by the American soprano, April Fredrick.

“Rehearsals are going well, it’s going to be fantastic and we’re really looking forward to it.”

As for the special 50th anniversary concert, the orchestra will be honouring their founder, the late Douglas Smith, at the Cheltenham Town Hall in June.

David added: “Douglas was a dentist by trade and a very good pianist and started the group – which at the time was called the Cheltenham Sunday Players.

“He lived and breathed music and was very much at the forefront of the group during my first stint.

“We’re going to be playing the Mozart concerto that Douglas played at the very first concert in 1969. It’s going to be quite the event, we can’t wait for it.”

More information on the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming concerts can be found at www.cheltenhamsymphonyorchestra.info