A new and exciting amateur string orchestra on the border between North Wales and Cheshire. Use the buttons below to find out more.
About Us and History
Our aims as an organisation are to:
Educate players and audiences on the wide array of music for string orchestras.
Develop a friendly, welcoming and encouraging community for players of all skill levels.
Provide amateur musicians of any skill level an opportunity to play string orchestra repertoire.
Rehearsals:We rehearse weekly for three terms a season, every Thursday 7:30 - 9:30PM at St. Mary's Church, Broughton. Please check the relevant Season page for more details.Each rehearsal will have a short break - please bring any refreshments that you would like.St. Mary's Church has toilets, and free car parking is available at the rear of the church, off of Bishops Ct road.
Admission:Anyone over the age of 16 is welcome to join the string orchestra, we request that you complete a simple form to let us know that you're planning on coming and enables us to send you an information pack prior to your first rehearsal.
Fees:Attendance to your first rehearsal is free, after which the cost for all members is £25 for each term, or £60 for the whole season upfront.
History
The Broughton String Orchestra is still a very new ensemble having been formed in September 2025 - though even recent history is still history. The following is a complete list of performances to date with a full record of what was performed and where:
| Date | Location | Music |
|---|---|---|
| 27/11/2025 | St. Mary's Church, Broughton | Edward Elgar - Serenade for Strings Peter Warlock - Capriol Suite Gustav Holst - St. Paul's Suite |
| 26/03/2026 | St. Mary's Church, Broughton | Vasily Kalinnikov - Serenade for String Alexander Glazunov - Theme with Variations for Strings in G Minor Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Serenade for Strings |
| 25/06/2026 | Church of the Holy Spirit, Ewloe | Carl Nielsen - Suite for Strings in A Minor Edvard Grieg - Two Elegiac Melodies Julius Beliczay - Serenade in D Minor |
The Conductor
Simon Rowland is a conductor who has a plethora of experience with community, amateur and semi-professional orchestras.Starting from the young age of 16 as the Associate Conductor of the Borders Orchestra, Simon first studied conducting at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music under Ewa Strusinska.Simon went on to study music at the University of Leeds where he conducted various ensembles, including the Leeds University Union Symphony Orchestra and attended several conducting workshops including workshops at Opera North, Sherborne Summer School of Music and with the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic.Simon has also studied at the University of New Mexico (America), where he continued to learn conducting under Jorge Perez Gomez. Whilst there Simon conducted various ensembles including the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Health Science Center Orchestra and many more. Simon also conducted a number of new compositions at the International Composers Symposium which was held in Albuquerque in 2019.Since graduating, Simon has returned to his roots, becoming the conductor of the Borders Orchestra where he first started in April of 2024, and started the Broughton String Orchestra September 2025.
Contact Us and Privacy Policy
If you have any questions about the ensemble or open rehearsal please contact us on [email protected].Our privacy policy is also able to be viewed following the relevant link below.
Season Information
2026/2027 Season
| Term Start | Term End | Music |
|---|---|---|
| September 24th | November 26th | Purcell - Abdelazer Boyce - Symphony No. 1 Mendelssohn - String Symphony No. 4 Parry - An English Suite |
| January 21st | March 25th | Finzi - Prelude for String Orchestra Fletcher - Folksong and Fiddle Dance Albinoni - Concerto in C Major Bull - The Herdgirls Sunday Respighi - Suite No. 3 |
| April 15th | June 24th | Foote - Suite in E Major Purcell - Chacony in G Minor Finzi - Romance for String Orchestra Gibbs - Miniature Dance Suite |
Rehearsal Schedule
| Date | Pieces | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 30/04/26 | Nielsen | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 07/05/26 | Grieg and Beliczay | Church of the Holy Spirit, Ewloe |
| 14/05/26 | Beliczay Mvt IV, III and Grieg Mvt I | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 21/05/26 | Beliczay Mvt I, II and Grieg Mvt II | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 28/05/26 | Nielsen, Grieg | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 04/06/26 | Beliczay | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 11/06/26 | Nielsen Mvt III, Beliczay | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 18/06/26 | Full run | St. Mary's, Broughton |
| 25/06/26 | Concert | Church of the Holy Spirit, Ewloe |
Upcoming Concerts
