Members of Chester’s Jan Modelski Community Orchestra are celebrating after a fantastic response to their concert last week.

Lord Mayor of Chester Cllr Jill Houlbrook was in attendance at St Mary’s Centre for the musical journey in front of a full house.

The first half had a classical nature with Bizet’s Carmen, Holst’s Jupiter and Pomp and Circumstance by Elgar.

The second half was a showcase of the orchestra’s range and versatility and included film music from Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings and themes from James Bond.

The audience was also treated to performances by a number of soloists throughout the evening. Some of these were performed by regular orchestra members keen to take the opportunity to gain valuable experience of solo performing.

Guest soloists were Jenny Baker and the orchestra’s conductor and musical director Jan Modelski on violin, accompanied by Mike Williams on the guitar.

Jan said: “I am absolutely delighted that the orchestra was given the opportunity to perform at such a prestigious event and we are very grateful to Chester Music Society. This has certainly been the biggest performance for the orchestra so far, and the players responded by playing with confidence and assurance. The feedback from the audience has been fantastic – a great experience for everyone involved!”

The orchestra welcomes new members and players of any standard welcome to attend a taster session. There is no audition but rehearsals are held on a Saturday morning in Great Barrow.

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