Welcome to St Bart's!
We are a friendly amateur orchestra and registered charity based in Streatham, South London.
We are mostly conducted by prize-winning conductors from the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, where many of our soloists come from too.
We enjoy playing from a wide repertoire, and perform 3 or 4 concerts a year, mainly in local concert venues, although past locations include Southwark and St George's Cathedrals, Arundel Castle, Croydon Clocktower and Fairfield Hall. We also take part in concerts with St Bartholomew's Polyphony Choir.
We raise money for charity through our concerts, and have raised tens of thousands of pounds during the 49 years we've been established. In the two years prior to covid, we played for charities feeding infants in Sudan, helping restore St John's Church Upper Norwood (one of our venues), opening up opportunities and training for young musicians in Madagascar, and supporting a church and its community in Sri Lanka following the terrorist attack. Recently we have performed concerts in aid of the Ukraine Red Cross and the Trussell Food Bank Trust.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals are normally held in Saint Bartholomew's Hall, Ellison Road, Streatham, SW16 5DE every Monday evening, 7:45pm-9:45pm, except the final pre-concert rehearsals, which are held at 2.00pm in the concert venue.
If you are looking for a lively, welcoming orchestra that enjoys making music to a high standard and at the same time helps others, this is the orchestra for you. We have low subscriptions, and reduced rates for full-time students. We also enjoy ideal rehearsal facilities with easy access from local transport.
Contact us for more information on orchestra membership
Join us!
* NEWS AND CONCERTS*
Following on from our 50th Anniversary concert in Novemberof last year, our Spring concert took place in the same venue, All Saints’ Church, Lovelace Road, London SE21 8JY, on 10 March. Being Mothers’ Day, we started the concert early at 6 pm to allow an early finish for youngsters. A full audience heard a programme of well-known music, which included Nicholai’s Merry Wives of Windsor , Greig’s Piano Concerto (played by Nicholas Austin)
Rehearsals start again 7.45pm 8 April at our normal rehearsal venue St Bartholomew’s Church Hall, 159 Ellison Road, SW16 5DE.
Players interested in joining the orchestra are invited to contact our Chairman at nmitchell27@gmail.com or through the Contact section at the end of this site. There are also vacancies for two horn players.
On 23 June 2024 we played Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Gabriel Thomas as our soloist. Also Haydn’s wonderful Symphony 104 and Ambarvalia by Rith Gipps and two pieces by Arnold Bax.
Our next concert is on 24th November in All Saints West Dulwich with performances of Berwald’s Symphonie Singuliere, Saint Saens Piano Concerto no 2 and Hamish McCunn’s Overture The Land of the Mountain and the Flood.
Our Members
Find out more about the People at St Barts!
Our Conductor
David Hackbridge Johnson was born in Carshalton, England, in 1963. He started composing at the age of 11. David began work as a violinist in theatre orchestras before becoming a jazz pianist and drummer. He formed the group ‘Constellation’ which featured his own compositions and arrangements. He has appeared as a drummer and violinist in jazz festivals at Montreux, Culle, Glion, Cheltenham, Ealing and Ross-on-Wye and has several jazz recordings to his credit including the album Did You See with Peter Elias, bass and Luigi La Marca, drums. Among his works there are 15 Symphonies, 10 String Quartets, 19 Piano Sonatas, 4 Violin and Piano Sonatas, and many vocal works. His music has been recorded by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has written three operas, the second of which, Madeleine, was commissioned by Surrey Opera as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations and performed by them under their conductor Jonathan Butcher in 2021. His most recent opera, Blaze of Glory, has been performed to great acclaim by Welsh National Opera this year. Hackbridge Johnson is also a poet and writer, and he lives in Tooting, Southwest London.
Orchestra Leader
Mario Basilisco concertmaster
Mario was born in London and began his musical studies at the age of seven with his father on the flamenco guitar. In 1991 he was a finalist in the BBC Young Guitarist of the Year.
After receiving a scholarship to study at the Centre for Young Musicians, he went on to Trinity College of Music where he completed his Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree. He then received further scholarships to pursue a postgraduate diploma, graduating from the class of Michael Bochmann.
Mario studied conducting with Peter Stark and was coached and participated in master classes with members of the Amadeus, Chillingirian, Vellinger and Wihan string quartets as well as the pianists Yonty Solomon and Ian Burnside.
As a violinist, Mario was a finalist in the 2002 Vera Kantrovich Solo Bach Competition and in 2003 won the first prize in both the Barbirolli String Quartet Competition and the Cavatina Trust Chamber Music Competition.
Mario has given solo and chamber music recitals throughout London and the UK. He freelances and guest leads symphony and chamber orchestras throughout London, and is also the leader of The Wandsworth Symphony Orchestra.
He also teaches the violin and coaches orchestras for the Lambeth Music Service.
Recent Soloists
Gabriel Thomas Clarinet
Gabriel Thomas gave a wonderful performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto at our most recent concert. He lives in south London and is a former principal with the orchestra.
MATINA TSAROUCHA
In July 2023 we welcomed the distinguished soprano, Matina Tsaroucha. She is a Greek soprano studying for a Master of Performance as an Elaine Hugh-Jones scholar at the Royal College of Music, London. She holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was also a scholar. Matina won 2nd prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards 2023 – arguably the most prestigious singing competition in the UK which takes place at Wigmore Hall. Since her debut with the Greek National Orchestra of ERT in 2018, Matina has played many roles, including Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Magda (La Rondine) and Leila (Les Pêcheurs de Perles) at the Britten Theatre, as well as Adele (Die Fledermaus). Matina has participated in Opera Galas with world-renowned singers from the Greek National Opera, sang in Verdi’s Requiem at the Barbican Centre and was a semi-finalist in the Mozart Singing Competition 2022. In the upcoming 2023/24 season, Matina makes her role debut as Mimì (La Bohème) in London.
Cristina coopeR
November 2021
Cristina Cooper is an award-winning cellist who has an Artist Diploma postgraduate degree in music performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and a Master’s degree in performance from the Royal College of Music. She has studied with some of the most well-known professors in London such as Richard Lester, Hélène Dautry, and Derek Aviss OBE, director of Trinity Laban College. She has received numerous bursaries to continue her studies including The Founders Scholarship, which has enabled her to do a postgraduate Artist Diploma and a research programme at Trinity Laban in 2020. In 2017 she was awarded “Silver Medal for the most outstanding contribution to the strings department”. She was awarded 1st Prize at the “Cavatina Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition” with Isbilia Quartet, 2018 she was a finalist at the RCM Concerto Competition with the Caspian Trio, and she recently joined the ViViCo Quartet, winner of the Carne Trust Mentorship Scheme last year. She has performed all over London, France, and Spain and has a busy concert schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.
Alis an
March 2020
Alis An is a Canadian concert pianist, currently a Pauline Hartley Award Holder at the Royal College of Music. In addition to having been recently awarded “Absolute First Prize” at the 5th Tadini International Music Competition, she was awarded Second Prize at the Montecatini International Piano Competition 2019; Third Prize at the Canadian Music Competition; finalist at the International Music Competition Paris 2018. She has performed in concerts across Canada, England, France, Italy, and Czech Republic and has played in masterclasses for pianists including Daniel Pollack, Lilya Zilberstein, Balázs Szokolay, and Veda Kaplinsky. Alis has a keen interest in chamber music and enjoys regular performances as part of the Aida Duo, with Portuguese violinist Inês Delgado. She is in the contemporary London-based chamber orchestra Cat’s Cradle Collective, who perform numerous concerts in London in places such as the Portuguese Embassy and the Royal Academy of Arts. Alis is based in London and studies with Sofya Gulyak and Nigel Clayton, and takes masterclasses with Vsevolod Dvorkin. She has previously studied with Gordon Fergus-Thompson and Dmitri Alexeev and has been generously supported by the Anne Burrows Music Foundation, the Ranald and Vera Shean Memorial Foundation, and the Winspear Fund. She performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral keyboardist, and enjoys working collaboratively with singers.
Rustam Khanmurzin
March 2019
Rustam Khanmurzin graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he studied with Alexander Mndoyants, and he is a laureate of a number of piano competitions worldwide: in Russia, Italy, China, South Korea and Greece. Since September 2017 Rustam continues his studies with Ian Jones at the Royal College of Music with Future of Russia Scholarship supported by ISH Award. During the first year of his studies in London he was selected to perform at annual RCM President's Visit concert, appeared in number of festivals in such venues as Starr Cinema (Tate Modern), Cadogan Hall, Amaryllis Fleming Hall, Britten Theatre, also performing in cities of France and Italy. He made his concerto debut with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra at the Moscow Soloists Festival where he was awarded a title of Laureate for an outstanding performance of the 2nd Piano Concerto by Chopin. Moreover, in 2012 in South Korea the First Lady of Poland presented Rustam with the Silver medal of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Chopin Piano Competition. In 2013 the Melodiya Lable launched Anthology of Piano Music by Russian and Soviet Composers CD Series with Rustam's recordings of pieces by Tchaikovsky, and now year the project is followed by Rustam's recordings of early Russian keyboard pieces in partnership with Ray Records Russia. It was Rustam Khanmurzin who was entrusted by PETROF Pianos to introduce a new Ant. Petrof 275 grand piano on Russian music stage. Twice Rustam won the Presidential Award for Talented Youth; in 2015 he was awarded with the PianoForum Magazine Award and Russian Music Union Prize "for a brilliant performance at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory".
Concert Reviews
Autumn Concert 2019
Our concert on 24th November played to an almost full house at St Philip’s. The audience was warmly appreciative, and Fr Younis and the members of his church were as hospitable as usual. All were glad to welcome H.E. the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, who attended in support of the collection on behalf of orphans of the bomb attack at St Sebastian’s Church in Sri Lanka. We hope she was also enticed by the varied programme, which included two works by past or present members of the orchestra, plus works Beethoven and Rossini! It was good to hear afterwards that she had thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Who could fail to have their sprits raised by Rossini’s overture to The Barber of Seville? It is bursting with tunes and includes two of his signature crescendos. This piece is a virtuoso challenge for any orchestra and was performed with verve and panache. Peggy Wu on the podium applied gentle pressure on the brakes when the energy needed curbing, and exciting bursts of acceleration as the piece galloped to its exuberant ending.
The two new works provided interesting contrasts; one (by Daniel Nazir-Hill) offered changing moods; solemn, playful and lyrical in turn, with especially colourful writing for the wind section. The Sri Lankan Rhapsody by Andrene Da Silva was more homogeneous in tone, moving with warmth and grace to a stirring climax, and offering a powerful blending of voices and orchestra.
The concert finished with Beethoven’s matchless 7th symphony. The orchestra played with great rhythmic energy when needed, but in the slower second movement, the string section, in particular, played with remarkable sensitivity and beauty.
In the interval we were treated to unusually excellent finger food. At the end, a presentation was made to Alison Manos, who was principal flute for many years and was also the orchestra’s irreplaceable secretary/administrator. The work she used to do for the orchestra is now being divided between at least three members of the committee, so the word “irreplaceable” is not being used lightly.
Finally, hundreds of pounds (the final figure is not yet certain) were raised to help provide care for two orphans of the bombing. That rounds off a pretty satisfactory evening.
The next concert will be at 7.30 on 15th March 2020 at St John’s Church, Sylvan Road, Upper Norwood. The programme will consist of Mozart’s overture to Don Giovanni, Chopin’s Piano Concerto Number 1, and Beethoven’s Third (“Eroica”)Symphony.
Spring Concert 2020
There was serious doubt about the viability of our March concert, due to the fast-changing situation with regard to coronavirus. However, after careful consideration of the Government guidelines, it was decided to go ahead, with the clear understanding that any performer who felt they needed to avoid such gatherings was absolutely supported in their decision not to play. We were glad we did go ahead, since clearly a good number of our loyal audience had earmarked the date, and attendance was gratifying. Our thanks to our hosts at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood.
The programme for the evening was appropriately stirring. We opened with the overture to Don Giovanni. Mozart pulls out all the stops for this dramatic showpiece, with its sinister chromatics, sudden key changes, and driving energy. It is a real test for any orchestra, and St Bart’s rose to the challenge of Peggy Wu’s racing baton.
Our soloist for Chopin’s piano concerto No 1 showed the sort of mastery that allows the audience to relax and enter the music wholeheartedly, knowing that they are in safe hands (literally). The orchestra is, for much of the time, the self-effacing accompanist, but all sections (and especially the woodwind) come out of the shadows at times for some lovely interplay with the soloist. It was a pleasure to see the way soloist and orchestra were in eye contact so much of the time.
The slow movement of the Chopin was, in a sense, the peaceful heart of a programme which was otherwise full of drama. Beethoven’s third symphony almost epitomises energy and struggle, though with moments of serenity and humour. This piece is an unusually physically demanding work for the musicians, both orchestra and conductor, and their commitment seemed to be reflected in the very positive audience response.
Mention must be made of the delightful encore offered by soloist and conductor, who sat together at the piano to play part of Faure’s Dolly Suite. This will be best known to older members of the audience as the theme tune of Listen with Mother from the BBC Home Service days. What a treat !
Contact
Chairman
Nicholas Mitchell
Conductor
David Hackbridge Johnson
Leader
Mario Basilisco
Committee members
Kitty Chevalier (Secretary)
Zara Alnaimi
Jan Claisse
Jill Dudman
Bernard Jupp
Philip Norman