Amateur and professional musicians are coming together in March to celebrate a decade of music making in north London, at the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London (SWON) s Anniversary Concert on Saturday, 28 March 2009 at the United Reform Church, Mus

Amateur and professional musicians are coming together in March to celebrate a decade of music making in north London, at the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London (SWON)'s Anniversary Concert on Saturday, 28 March 2009 at the United Reform Church, Muswell Hill.

The wind orchestra was first formed in 1999 by Stephen Kersley and Stuart Allen and now has more than 30 full time members aged between 20 and 70. Musicians, both amateur and professional, come from across the north London boroughs for weekly rehearsals. For some it is an opportunity to meet and rehearse with new people, for others it is chance to keep up with an instrument that might otherwise be forgotten.

Swon presents an invaluable opportunity for local people to practice their instruments, make new friends, and entertain north Londoners. The ultimate aim is to entertain and make great music accessible to the local community.

Piccolo player Damien Murphy, from East Finchley, has been playing with the orchestra since it formed in 1999. He said: "Swon is a really friendly and really talented group which means rehearsals are both great fun, and also very rewarding. We have some excellent soloists and a brilliant conductor - I really enjoy meeting up with everyone each week."

The orchestra has a varied repertoire covering a wide range of musical styles. Recent concert programmes have included everything from Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, and Rossini's William Tell Overture, to selections from West Side Story, and wind band classics such as Souza's The Liberty Bell.

In the ten years of SWON, the orchestra has performed at St Judes' Proms and the East Finchley Festival, and even toured to Belgium in 2007. Saxophone player Lucy Wilson-Shaw added: "I joined SWON soon after I moved to London, it's been a really good way to meet new people, make friends and enjoy playing music every week. SWON is a really friendly and sociable group of people, going on tour to Belgium was a real highlight!"

The group is entirely funded by membership subscriptions, with proceeds from their three annual concerts helping to buy music and pay for rehearsal space. The orchestra are currently looking for sponsorship from local businesses. For more information contact Caroline Egen on 020 8340 2706.

The SWON Anniversary Concert will be held at on Saturday, 28 March at 7.30pm at the United Reform Church, Tetherdown, Muswell Hill, N10. Tickets cost �8 on the door/�6 in advance/�5 concessions and are available from Charlotte Watts on 07799 403 354.

About the Orchestra

The Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London (SWON) is an enthusiastic and friendly wind orchestra based in Barnet. We are made up of amateur and professional players from across north London, including Hackney, Haringay, Camden, and Islington. Playing a wide range of music, from Holst to Shostakovich, and Gershwin to John Williams, the orchestra play three concerts a year; recent appearances include St Judes' Proms and the East Finchley Festival. In July 2007 SWON toured in Belgium, performing in a Bandstand in central Oostende as part of the Antwerp festival. For more information see: www.swon.org.uk

About our Musical Director

Grace is Musical Director of the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London, Enfield Chamber Orchestra, and the Finchley Choral Society. Grace read Music at Bristol University; on graduating, she worked with choirs and operatic societies in the south west, before returning to London in 2001 when she was appointed Musical Director of the Finchley Children's Music Group. She has recorded for BBC radio and television, Classic FM and Channel 4.

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