Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra 2026/27 Season : Concert Programme
Conductor : Stephen Belinfante
Leader : Richard Martin
Tickets available soon
Welcome to the Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra’s 131st season. Across our four concerts, we present well-loved orchestral classics alongside works that offer something new to explore. Featuring local soloists, moving tributes, and vibrant symphonic works, we look forward to sharing a varied year of music with you.
Autumn : The New World at 250
A concert in memory of Jon Foster
Sunday 15th November 2026, 3pm
Princess Hall, Cheltenham Ladies College
Dvorak : Symphony No 9 “A New World”
Copland : Suite from Rodeo
Gipps : Song for Orchestra
This concert marks 250 years since the founding of the United States, taking a reflective look at the music inspired by the American landscape and experience. The performance is dedicated to the memory of our friend and colleague Jon Foster, who played oboe and cor anglais with the orchestra for many years before his passing in 2026.
The program centres on Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, one of the most recognizable and enduring works in the orchestral repertoire. Composed during Dvořák’s time in America, its memorable themes—including the famous Largo—draw heavily on African American spirituals and Native American traditions. Alongside this, audiences will hear Aaron Copland’s energetic Suite from Rodeo, capturing the rhythm and spirit of the American West.
Opening the concert is a lesser-known gem: Ruth Gipps’ Song for Orchestra. Brief and lyrical, it features a prominent, tender oboe solo that provides a fitting moment of remembrance for Jon.
Winter Concert :
Sunday 31st January 2027, 3pm
Princess Hall, Cheltenham Ladies College
Harp : Catherine White
Tchaikovsky : Symphony No 4
Pierne : Concertstuck for Harp and Orchestra
Humperdinck : Suite from Hansel and Gretel
Our winter concert brings together dramatic romanticism, fairy-tale charm, and a celebration of local talent.
The main work of the afternoon is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, a staple of the orchestral repertoire beloved for its fiery energy, vivid brass fanfares, and deeply emotional melodies. If you enjoy Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet scores like The Nutcracker or Swan Lake, this symphony showcases the composer at his most powerful and expressive. The concert opens with Humperdinck’s Suite from Hänsel and Gretel, a warm, melodic piece steeped in folk tales and rich German Romanticism.
At the centre of the programme is Gabriel Pierné’s rarely heard Concertstück for Harp and Orchestra. We are delighted to feature local harpist Catherine White as our soloist. Catherine has performed within the orchestra as a regular guest for many years, and this brilliant, elegant work provides the perfect opportunity to highlight her exceptional musicianship.
Spring Concert : The Elements
Sunday 25th April 2026, 3pm
Princess Hall, Cheltenham Ladies College
Violin : Herbie Urqhuart-Dixon – Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2026
Vaughan Williams : The Lark Ascending with Herbie Urqhuart-Dixon – Violin
Dvorak : The Water Goblin
Smyth : The Wreckers Overture
Neilsen : Symphony N0 4 “Inextinguishable”
Our spring programme explores the natural world and the elements, framing both the serene and the turbulent ways nature has inspired composers.
At the heart of the programme is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, consistently voted one of the nation’s favourite pieces of classical music. Its soaring, bird-like violin solo captures the English countryside with timeless beauty. We are thrilled to welcome violinist Herbie Urquhart-Dixon, winner of the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2026, as our soloist for this iconic work.
Contrasting with this familiar favourite are three works that showcase the dramatic forces of nature. Ethel Smyth’s powerful Overture to The Wreckers opens the concert with evocative images of the stormy Cornish coast. We also perform Dvořák’s rarely heard tone poem The Water Goblin, which combines his characteristic melodic warmth with a darker folk narrative based on Czech mythology. The concert concludes with Carl Nielsen’s extraordinary Symphony No. 4 (“The Inextinguishable”), a driving, dramatic work that features a famous battle between two sets of timpani placed at opposite sides of the orchestra.
Summer Concert : Celebrating Dance
Sunday 27th June 2026, 3pm
Princess Hall, Cheltenham Ladies College
Rachmaninov : Symphonic Dances
Khachaturian : Suite from Spartacus
Arnold : Cornish Dances
Ravel : La Valse
Our season finale is a celebration of rhythm and movement, bringing together music written for dance, inspired by dance, or built around the concept of dance.
The most familiar music on the programme comes from Aram Khachaturian’s Suite from Spartacus. Its centerpiece—the famous, sweeping Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia—is one of the most recognizable love themes in orchestral music, widely known from its frequent use on television and film.
Alongside this favorite, the first half explores two distinct takes on dance forms. Malcolm Arnold’s Cornish Dances offers a set of short, characterful pieces drawing on the brass traditions and coastal landscapes of Cornwall. Maurice Ravel’s La Valse provides a vivid, dramatic journey as a traditional Viennese waltz gradually transforms into a fiery orchestral tour de force.
The second half is dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninov’s final major work, the Symphonic Dances. Richly orchestrated and full of rhythmic vitality, it blends lush melodies with elements of his earlier music, bringing the season to a powerful and energetic close.