The first "Symphony in a Weekend"event took place on March 17th & 18th 2007, at the Open University, Milton Keynes.

The work for the first "Symphony in a Weekend" event was Mahler's 4th Symphony. This required a large orchestra, and some 90 players took part. Graham Reid conducted the orchestra with great insight, skill and patience. David Ogden, formerly a member of the Nash Ensemble, Delme Quartet and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, led the orchestra, offered technical insights and demonstrated devilish bravura and style in the solo passages. Angela Caesar sang the solo in the last movement, capturing the mood and ambience of the music beautifully. 

The weekend was felt to be a great success, and it was marvellous to draw such a large number of players from such a wide area. Players came from Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, London and further afield. We rehearsed on the Saturday afternoon and during the day on the Sunday, and finished with a performance at the end of the weekend to a sizeable audience, before adjourning to the adjacent bar to relax.

A panoramic view of the full* orchestra at "Symphony in a Weekend 2007".

Photo by Jamie Slee

* with apologies to the double basses missed on the right!