New name for Friends Orchestra

From the start of the 2009/10 season, Manchester Camerata’s Friends Orchestra will be known as Camerata Cameo Orchestra. We chose the name because it sums up the spirit of the orchestra’s participants – passionate and talented musicians who would not feature in a starring role in the main orchesta but who play a very important part with this group of players.

We also want to reflect that places in the orchestra are open to everyone; not just members of the Association of Friends of Manchester Camerata but people in all of the communities we serve, from Chester to Cumbria. To help members of the Camerata community outside of Manchester plan effectively we will be announcing the dates for Cameo Orchestra play days well in advance.

We hope this name change will encourage a wider group of amateur musicians to dust off their instruments and get involved, learn from each other, receive expert tuition from Camerata musicians and, most of all, have fun. For existing members, little will change; Richard Howarth will still lead the sessions but we hope that with new players coming from far and wide you’ll have a bigger band to play with!

For more information and to sign up for Camerata Cameo Orchestra contact our Learning and Participation department on 0161 226 8696 or email l&pintern@manchestercamerata.com