ABOUT US
Making beautiful chamber music in the West Country
NAVIGATION
NIGEL WICKEN
Conductor
Nigel was taught, inspired, at school by Peter Maxwell Davies, who
later became Master of the Queen's Music.
After studying trumpet and organ at the Royal College of Music, and
a period working for the Arts Council, he started teaching at
Cheltenham College. He was director of music at schools in Wiltshire
and Sussex.
He is organist of St. Mary's, Penzance and conductor of the
Orchestra of St. Mary's, the Helston Chamber Choir and Camerata
Kernow. He is also the continuo player for the early music group, the
Henichen Ensemble.
Musical interests are summed up as ancient and modern. With St
Mewan Sinfonia, that translates into music from the baroque and
from the 21st century. He believes strongly in promoting
contemporary composers, and has directed several first
performances.
CHAMBER MUSIC IN THE 21ST CENTURY
We meet on Thursdays throughout the year (except during school holidays)
in Ladock Village Hall at 7:30 pm for rehearsals and a cuppa.
Usually we give one or two concerts per term.
OVER 40 YEARS OF MAKING MUSIC
St Mewan Sinfonia started as a string quartet in the 1970's and grew into a
string orchestra by 1974. The first rehearsal venue, St Mewan Church Hall
gave the string orchestra its name. Over the years, the orchestra has grown
in size, and the venue has changed to reflect that.
For our detailed history click or tap here.
CORNWALL’s PREMIERE STRING ORCHESTRA
WELCOME TO OUR WEBSITE!
St Mewan Sinfonia is Cornwall's premier string orchestra, Apart from playing for enjoyment, the orchestra raises money for charity by giving a series of concerts
of classical music every year. The orchestra rehearses throughout the year (except during school holidays), with a new repertoire every term. We also invite
solo singers and instrumentalists to perform with us and our repertoire ranges from music of the Baroque period to contemporary works. One recent concert
included 4 world premieres!
St Mewan Sinfonia is a registered charity (no. 1021171).
We are currently looking for at least one more strong experienced violinist! If you’re interested please contact us.
NEXT CONCERT
ST PAUL'S CHURCH, CHARLESTOWN PL25 3NS
6.30pm Sunday 12th June 2022
Tickets £8 on the door to include a glass of wine (cash only please)
Georg Muffat: Concerto II (Cor vigilans)
Peter Warlock: Capriol Suite
Michel-Richard Lalande: Ballet Suite de la Jeunesse
interval
Frank Bridge: Suite for Strings
Peter Sculthorpe: My country childhood
FOCUS ON PEOPLE
Director: Nigel Wicken
Are you interested in playing with us?
The kind of player we are looking for will be roughly of Grade 8 standard or have comparable orchestral experience.
We do not audition in the formal sense, but ask any prospective member to come along to a couple of rehearsals to play next to the
section leader who can then make a decision. Ideally, you would come along at the start of the term as we begin work on new repertoire.
If you're interested, please email us on stmewansinfonia@gmail.com