Information for Players
Last updated 6th March 2026: added detailed summer rehearsal schedule
CONTENTS
Future Concerts & Programmes
Rehearsals
Subscriptions
Rehearsal venues
Concert venues
Selling concert tickets
Concert dress
Noticeboard
Management of the Orchestra
Players privacy statement
Future Concerts & Programmes
Saturday 14th March 2026 - Oxford Town Hall
Saturday 20th June 2026 - Sheldonian
Saturday 14th November 2026 - Oxford Town Hall
Saturday 13th March 2027 - Oxford Town Hall
Saturday 19th June 2027 - Sheldonian
Rehearsals
Early 2026
Saturday 14th March 2026 - Oxford Town Hall
2nd flute doubles piccolo; 2nd oboe doubles cor anglais;
2nd clarinet doubles E-flat clarinet; 2nd bassoon doubles contrabasson
Percussion: tri, sd, bd, cymb
Trumpets in 3rd, 4th and 5th mvts only.
Trombones in 4th & 5th mvts only;
Timps in 4th movement only
Rehearsal schedule (or download a pdf)
Rehearsals are 7.15-9.45pm on Tuesdays at Greyfriars School, except where indicated. Strings are required at all rehearsals; other players, as indicated (see below).
Please note that there is strictly no eating or drinking in the (recently carpeted) room at Greyfriars. No flasks, no open containers that can spill. Water in a capped bottle is ok. This is part of the conditions of us hiring the room.
The schedule for for early 2026 is as follows. If you are unable to attend any rehearsal, be sure to inform your section leader, and if for any reason you anticipate being absent more than two rehearsals for any concert please notify your section leader as far in advance as possible.
| 13thJanuary | 7.15pm Strauss
9pm Szymanowski |
3323 4000 harp
2222 4000 piano |
|---|---|---|
| 20thJanuary | Beethoven | 2222 2000 |
| 27thJanuary | 7.15pm Strauss
9pm Szymanowski |
3323 4000 harp
2222 4000 piano |
| 3rdFebruary | Sectionals
|
Violins & Violas (MR)
Cellos (JJ) Woodwinds (MA) Horns (TA) |
| 10thFebruary | 7.15pm Strauss
8.15pm Beethoven |
3323 4000 harp
2222 2000 |
| 17thFebruary | no rehearsal (half term)
|
|
| 24thFebruary | Szymanowski plus soloist | 2222 4200 timp side-drum piano |
| 3rdMarch | 7.15pm Strauss
then Beethoven 4,5,3,1,2 |
3323 4331 timp perc×3 harp
3222 2220 timp |
| 10thMarch | 7.15pm Strauss
then Beethoven 4,5,3,1,2 |
3323 4331 timp perc×3 harp
3222 2220 timp |
| 14thMarch |
3.30pm Strauss
4.15pm Szymanowski
5pm Beethoven 3,4,5,1,2
7.30pm Concert |
Tutti as required |
Summer 2026
Saturday 20th June 2026 - Sheldonian
Rehearsal schedule (or download a pdf)
| 21stApril | 7.15pm Elgar
8.45pm Britten |
3333 4000 harp
2223 4000 harp |
|---|---|---|
| 28thApril | 7.15pm Elgar
9pm Bridge |
3333 4000 harp
2222 4000 harp |
| 5thMay | 7.15pm Elgar
8.45pm Britten |
3333 4000 harp
2223 4000 harp |
| 12thMay | Sectionals
|
Violins & Violas (MR)
Cellos (RM) Woodwinds (MA) Horns tbc |
| 19thMay | 7.15pm Elgar
9pm Bridge |
3333 4000 harp
2222 4000 harp |
| 26thMay | no rehearsal (half term)
|
|
| 2ndJune | 7.15pm Bridge plus soloist | 2222 4200 timp (perc×1 if possible) harp
|
| 9thJune | 7.15pm Elgar
8.45pm Britten |
3333 4331 timp perc×3 harp
2222 4331 timp perc×2 harp |
| 16thJune | 7.15pm Elgar
9pm Britten |
3333 4331 timp perc×3 harp
2222 4331 timp perc×2 harp |
| Saturday 20thJune
in the Sheldonian |
3.30pm Elgar
4.30pm Britten 5pm Bridge rehearsal ends 6pm 7.30pm concert |
Tutti as required
|
| Sunday 19thJuly | 6.45pm - 9.45pm
Truck rehearsal |
|
| Tuesday 21stJuly | 6.45pm - 9.45pm
Truck rehearsal |
|
| Saturday 25thJuly | Truck festival
|
|
Subscriptions
One of the contributions that players make to the running of the orchestra is the payment of an annual or termly subscription. The 2025/26 rates remain the same as last year, at:
Annual fee: £192, or three payments of £64 per term
Students and unwaged: £22 per term.
Players who feel able to do so are invited to pay at a higher rate or make additional contributions, by topping up their payments or by sponsoring a particular activity.
Subscription payments, due at first rehearsal of term, may be made by bank transfer, cheque or cash. Rates are reviewed annually. If you are able to pay your subscription for the year all in one go, then please do so, as it really helps to cut down the time committee members have to spend processing them.
If you are UK tax payer, the orchestra (being a registered charity) can claim back tax
you have paid on your subscription payments. This generates significant extra income
for the orchestra. So, if you pay tax, please ensure that you complete a Gift Aid declaration form
(
or
)
and return it to the treasurer, Andrew Rendell (osotreasurer@gmail.com).
Exceptionally, where a player has circumstances of particular personal hardship, a case for temporary reduction of fees can be considered by the Chair of the orchestra.
Rehearsal venues
Greyfriars School (OX4 3DR)
The school is on Cricket Road, Oxford, and we rehearse in the Main Hall.
Google map
School site plan (pdf)
Please note that there is a LTN (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods)
in the Cowley/Florence Park area and access to the school can
only be made from the Cowley Rd side. Cornwallis Rd, Rymer's Lane &
Little Hay Rd are blocked and are no-through roads.
Access to the School is via a one-way loop road off Cricket Road. By car from Cowley Road,
turn into Shelley Road. Take the second left turn into Cricket Road and then the first right into the School.
There is ample parking but only vehicles carrying very heavy instruments (i.e. harps, timpani and other large percussion instruments) may be brought along the pedestrian walkway to the Main Hall (c.150 metres) for unloading and loading.
During rehearsals vehicles must be returned to car park spaces.
Please depart promptly after rehearsals as the external gates are locked at 10:15pm.
Also note that the whole school site is a 'no smoking' area and that the
contract to use the premises is immediately cancelled for a hiring organisation
if anyone associated with it is found smoking on site.
If approaching the front of Greyfriar's, please take note of car park area the Orchestra
is expected to occupy on Tuesday evenings; please could you kindly look at the map (below),
and be sure to park within the designated area (the L-shaped area outlined in yellow),
& not in the reserved area (the rectangle outlined in red) which belongs to a different school.
As of January 2026, there has been congestion around the car parks at 7pm, and so the school will open up a back gate from the end of Campbell Road, OX4 3NR (see map below), leading to additional parking. However, the times the gate will be open are 6:30pm - 7pm and then again at 9:30pm - 10pm. We have asked whether it is possible to leave it open after 7pm but this is not guaranteed. As it takes 10 mins to drive from the back gate to the front, choose your route wisely, avoiding the local LTN route restrictions, including an ANPR camera in nearby Cornwallis Rd, and a bollard in Rymers Lane.
Concert venues
Oxford Town Hall: St Aldates, Oxford OX1 1BX Directions, Map, Travel and Parking information
Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford: Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ Map and directions
Noticeboard
The committee runs a OSO noticeboard where adverts may be placed with regards to further musical opportunities.
Selling concert tickets
Players are expected to take an active part in promoting concerts and selling tickets to friends and family. Tickets sold in advance by players are available at discounted rates from the standard ticket price of £18.
Management of the Orchestra
A committee of orchestra members meets three times a year to discuss and agree plans. Speak to any one of us on the committee if there is something you feel we should consider or if you'd like to help in some way with running the orchestra. If you've got thoughts about repertoire or music you feel would be good to play, do talk to Robert Max.
Orchestra members have an annual general meeting in November or December when new committee members are elected and ideas can be discussed by everyone. The present committee members are:
David Patrick - Chair (chair@oxfordsymphonyorchestra.org.uk)
Lorna Softley - Secretary
Andrew Rendell - Treasurer (osotreasurer@gmail.com)
Grace Lane - Membership Secretary (membership@oxfordsymphonyorchestra.org.uk)
Dani McNeil - Librarian
Jessica Qiao - Concert Manager
Helen Kidd - Marketing and Publicity
Matthias Winkel - Production Company
Karen Bendall - Social Media
Dominic Knight
Sally Prime
Dominic Wilkinson
Robert Max - Musical Director (in attendance)
Mariette Richter - Leader (in attendance)
Other roles include:
Sharon Curtis - Website (website@oxfordsymphonyorchestra.org.uk)
Paul Johnson - Programmes
Catherine Hartley - Padlet notices
Players' Privacy Statement
Why do we need your data ? We need to collect and store some details about you so that we can inform you about orchestra matters and organise and promote our activities. We will not use your data for any other purpose without your consent. We will never give it to third parties and if another player asks for your contact details we will only ever share them with your consent.
We only collect the data we need This may include, your name, email address, payment and Gift Aid information, phone number, postal address, bank details, photographic/video images. We review what data we have on members every two years and remove it if we no longer need it. If you leave the group, we’ll make sure we stop using and/or delete any data we don’t need to keep (e.g. for financial reporting).
Queries and updating/removal of data At any time you can ask to view, update or correct any data we hold on you. You can also ask that we stop using your data or that we erase it. To request any of these, please contact the Chair of the orchestra.
By playing in Oxford Symphony Orchestra you acknowledge and agree to use of your data in accordance with this Privacy Statement.
