Thorington Players
Encyclopedia
The Thorington Players are an amateur orchestra
based in London
. The orchestra gives frequent concerts for charity. It is conducted by David Cairns
.
It has often played at St. John's, Smith Square
, in the chapel of Merton College, Oxford
and at the Suffolk
festival Summer on the Peninsula, but its main base is St. Mary's Church, Putney
(the scene of the Putney Debates
in 1647).
The orchestra was founded in 1983 by David Cairns
with the help of friends, after week-ends of chamber music at Thorington Hall in Suffolk
.
Soloists who have performed with the orchestra include:
Gina McCormack, Tasmin Little
, Steven Isserlis
, Garrick Ohlsson
, Ian Lake
, Peter Cropper, Stephen Kovacevich
, Tamas Vesmas, Grace Francis, Lionel Friend, Sophia Rahman, Martin Neary
, Jane Hyland, Alice Neary, Jill Gomez
, Mark Tatlow, Robin Ticciati
, Luciano Iorio, James Mcleod, Jorja Fleezanis, Katherine Hunka, Alison Buchanan, Phyllis Cannan, Robert Tear
, John Graham-Hall, Thomas Helmsley, Catrin Johnsson, Milana Zaric, Audrey Hylad, Hilary Dolamore, Jessica Walker, David Murphy, Richard Ireland and David Wilson Johnson.
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The orchestra gives frequent concerts for charity. It is conducted by David Cairns
David Cairns
David Cairns may refer to:*David Cairns , British politician*David Cairns , rugby league footballer*David Cairns , music critic and writer...
.
It has often played at St. John's, Smith Square
St. John's, Smith Square
St John's, Smith Square is a church in the middle of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable Trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored, the internal layout altered somewhat, and is now used as a concert hall....
, in the chapel of Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
and at the Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
festival Summer on the Peninsula, but its main base is St. Mary's Church, Putney
St. Mary's Church, Putney
St. Mary's Church , Putney is an Anglican church in Putney, London sited next to the river Thames, beside the southern approach to Putney Bridge. There has been a centre of Christian worship on this site from at least the 13th century, and the church is still very active today...
(the scene of the Putney Debates
Putney Debates
The Putney Debates were a series of discussions between members of the New Model Army – a number of the participants being Levellers – concerning the makeup of a new constitution for England....
in 1647).
The orchestra was founded in 1983 by David Cairns
David Cairns
David Cairns may refer to:*David Cairns , British politician*David Cairns , rugby league footballer*David Cairns , music critic and writer...
with the help of friends, after week-ends of chamber music at Thorington Hall in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Soloists who have performed with the orchestra include:
Gina McCormack, Tasmin Little
Tasmin Little
Tasmin Little is an English violinist.She studied under Pauline Scott at the Yehudi Menuhin School and later at the Guildhall School of Music, coming to prominence as a string section finalist in the 1982 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition...
, Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
, Garrick Ohlsson
Garrick Ohlsson
Garrick Ohlsson is an American classical pianist.Ohlsson was the first American to win first prize in the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition, in 1970. He also won first prize at the Busoni Competition in Italy and the Montreal Piano Competition in Canada...
, Ian Lake
Ian Lake
Ian Lake was a pianist and composer who taught for many years at the Royal College of Music in London.-References:....
, Peter Cropper, Stephen Kovacevich
Stephen Kovacevich
Stephen Kovacevich , who has also been known as Stephen Bishop and Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich is an American classical pianist and conductor.-Biography:...
, Tamas Vesmas, Grace Francis, Lionel Friend, Sophia Rahman, Martin Neary
Martin Neary
Martin Neary LVO is an English organist and choral conductor. He was Organist and Director of Music at Winchester Cathedral from 1972 to 1988, and Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey from 1988 to 1998...
, Jane Hyland, Alice Neary, Jill Gomez
Jill Gomez
Jill Gomez is a Trinidadian and British soprano of Hispanic origin.She was born in Guyana to a Trinidadian father and British mother; was raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and has made her career primarily in the United Kingdom. After studying briefly at St...
, Mark Tatlow, Robin Ticciati
Robin Ticciati
Robin Ticciati is a British conductor of Italian ancestry. His paternal grandfather was a composer and arranger. His father is a barrister, and his mother is a therapist...
, Luciano Iorio, James Mcleod, Jorja Fleezanis, Katherine Hunka, Alison Buchanan, Phyllis Cannan, Robert Tear
Robert Tear
Robert Tear, CBE was a Welsh tenor and conductor.Tear was born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK, the son of Thomas and Edith Tear. He attended Barry Boys' Grammar School and during this period sang in the chorus of the first Welsh National Opera's production of 'Cavalleria Rusticana' in April 1946...
, John Graham-Hall, Thomas Helmsley, Catrin Johnsson, Milana Zaric, Audrey Hylad, Hilary Dolamore, Jessica Walker, David Murphy, Richard Ireland and David Wilson Johnson.