The Rehearsal Orchestra

Harry Legge, a viola-player in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra working with such legendary conductors as Beecham, Rodzinski, Gui, Giulini and Klemperer, had regularly enjoyed the RPO’s visits to the Festival and noticed the number of players about during the day waiting for evening concerts.

To ‘keep them out of the rain’ he came up with the brilliant idea of forming a rehearsal orchestra to enable them to study the major works they would then hear performed by leading professional orchestras in the evenings.

Harry’s partner in this project was cellist Gillian Halse whose flair for organization and the charm with which she encouraged players to join made this a winning team. From the start ERO attracted the attention of the press and the Festival authorities, as well as players. Sir Thomas Beecham agreed to be the orchestra’s first patron (followed later by Rudolf Kempe, Sir Charles Groves and Sir Andrew Davis). The original courses lasted the full three weeks of the Festival.

Following the success in Edinburgh, the players demanded a “reunion” in London, and from this developed a series of weekend courses held every year in London and Manchester, and elsewhere.

Over the course of nearly seven decades Rehearsal Orchestra has helped thousands of musicians excel in their playing, and virtually every professional orchestra in the UK includes players who have benefited from our courses.