Didcot Concert Orchestra

12/08/2026

In our summer break, there's often not much to report, but this post amused me, as did some of the comments. It also reminds me to mention that DCO's next concert is on Sunday 11 October, and tickets are already on sale. Elgar's First Symphony is unmissable...

https://www.facebook.com/ClassicFM/posts/pfbid0yyXtSx7E8zd3PpKytHrXwidt5XSUMPC4w6YALL1BjnRc1oJ7TCvNbCmbiTg7QW3ql

Full programme and tickets from www.didcotconcertorchestra.org.uk

Trump vs trumpets! 🎺

This week, the Trump administration declared tubas, trombones, trumpets, and French horns a national security threat.

Brass instruments could soon face a 25% tariff on imports, parts, and accessories, as part of a wider push to expand tariffs on aluminium, steel, and copper. The six-page proposal, published by the Department of Commerce, uses the words “national security” nine times.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bL9TfP

14/05/2026

In an enforced change to our initially announced soloist, DCO is delighted to welcome Monty Guo, who is currently completing a Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Originally from Sydney, Monty is increasingly focused on chamber music and ensemble performance at a professional level. Monty has performed across Australia and Europe, and led conservatoire orchestras in both Australia and the UK, including at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Royal Academy of Music. Through projects such as Trio Nostos and his ongoing studies in London, Monty is establishing himself within the European chamber and orchestral scene while seeking to create distinctive, engaging performance experiences that bring audiences into closer contact with the energy and intimacy of live music.

This is an opportunity not to be missed to hear and support one of this country's upcoming younger generation of players going into music as their professional career. Monty's performance of Dvorak's Violin Concerto this Sunday 17 May (4pm at Cornerstone) will be an outstanding showcase of raw talent and musicality in one of the repertoire's unjustly neglected gems.

Tickets from https://cornerstone-arts.org/book/?show=367002

03/05/2026

The four contrasting movements of Coleridge-Taylor's Petite Suite de Concert are full of tuneful innovation and melody, with a compositional style much admired by Elgar. Monty Guo then joins DCO to perform Dvořák's Violin Concerto – a piece requested by his publisher after the success of his Sixth Symphony and his popular Slavonic Dances. Though less frequently performed than others in the genre, this concerto remains an important piece in the violin repertoire. Max Bruch is perhaps best known for his Violin Concerto no 1, but his Second Symphony is no lesser work from his output of 200 pieces. The three contrasting pieces in this programme characterise DCO's mission to bring tuneful classical music to delight Didcot audiences. And of course, there may be an encore...

Tickets https://cornerstone-arts.org/book/?show=367002