Minehead Community Orchestra

The Minehead Community Orchestra (MCO) was founded by David Pitts on 25th January 2012, when it was known as the Alcomber’s Orchestra.

Over the past fourteen years we have lost members and indeed conductors but have gained replacements regularly. Emily Feldberg stepped in and conducted us when we were suddenly without a conductor. She held us together and brought us forward for the past 7 years, for which we are greatly thankful but has now stepped aside and back to her cello to fill that void.

We are very fortunate that composer James Stringer is now our conductor, he studied piano at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College, London, and retired to Minehead in 2021 after a career in business.

Since then, James has participated in many musical activities locally and is a member of the saxophone quartet/quintet “Sax Collective,” recorder quintet “Pipe Dreams,” the Exeter Recorder Orchestra, the Watchet Town Band (saxophone and associate conductor) and the Exmoor Piano Group, as well as playing keyboard in various pantomimes and musicals at The Regal theatre, most recently as Musical Director for “Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood.” James has also contributed to several albums by rock musicians over the years, as well as producing modern dance and ambient music in his own studio. Several of James’s compositions are published by Peacock Press.

James looks forward to conducting the Minehead Community Orchestra over the coming year and will feature some of his own music in its repertoire.

Our leader Mary Sutcliffe is also the lead singer, guitarist, violinist and composer for Mary and the Faeries a competent local folk group.

Our repertoire this coming year will include:

5 Courtly Dances Britten
Radetzky March Strauss
Hungarian Dance No 5 Brahms
Dolly Suite Faure
The Blue Danube Strauss
Oronsay Stringer
Symphony No. 1 Beethoven
Linden Lea Vaughan Williams
The Magnificent Seven Bernstein
Intermezzo Mascagni

Every year we aim to have two concerts, one at Christmas and the other in Blenheim Gardens in the summer.

If you would like to enjoy the fellowship of making music together, we are always looking for new members, strings particularly. Please get in touch here.

Rehearsals – Monday evenings 7pm for 7.15 start at Minehead Methodist Church Hall

2026

April 13 & 27 May 4, 11,18 & 25 June 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 July 6 – social

Sunday 5th July Concert in Blenheim Gardens

The Team

Conductor: James Stringer, Leader: Mary Sutcliffe,

Administrator: Anne Gibson. Honorary Treasurer: Alan Radford.

Committee Members: George Thomas, Margaret Jackson, Suzanne Richardson, Tim Hedgecock, Nicky Parnell

Subscriptions

The subscription is £20 per term.

Interested in joining us?

Please contact us, we will be very pleased to hear from you.