About Us

The Wolsey Orchestra was founded in 1972 by the late Tricia Maguire as a chamber orchestra, and was conducted for its first four years by Adam Gatehouse. It gradually developed into a full symphony orchestra in the mid 1980s and was already working with established professional conductors and featuring nationally renowned soloists.

Christopher Adey and John Lubbock both conducted the orchestra regularly over a long period, moulding it and establishing it as a fine amateur orchestra. By the mid-1990s Peter Stark, one of the country’s pre-eminent conducting ‘gurus’, had begun to open new horizons and raise expectations, leading the orchestra towards tackling more ambitious programmes for large-scale Symphony Orchestra.

More recently several younger professional conductors, recommended by Peter and others have made their mark on the orchestra, its personality, and its programming.

Andrew Morley, Richard Liaing and Dexter Drown have, in very contrasting ways, established great personal rapport with the orchestra. Their strengths and interests have ensured demanding work in rehearsal and high standards in performance. The orchestra hopes to continue these relationships in the near future, whilst keeping open opportunities for working with new faces too.