Do try and get to some of Maidstone Symphony Orchestra’s fine concerts http://www.mso.org.uk if you’re not yet familiar with them. Conducted by Brian Wright for many years, the orchestra is over 100 years old. We’ve been subscription ticket holders for a long time and the standard just goes up and up.

One of the secrets of the orchestra’s excellence is the hiring in of fine professional soloists to play concerti. Over the years we’ve heard, for example, Guy Johnson, Freddy Kemp, Emma Johnson, Tom Poster, Chloe Hanslip, John Lill (who is the orchestra’s patron) and many more. Players range from professionals and semi-professionals including music teachers and students to bank managers and accountants for whom this is a hobby.

There are five concerts each season and the venue is Mote Hall, Maidstone. The next concert is on Saturday 12 March at 7.30 pm and presents Ulf Hoelscher playing the Elgar violin concerto along with Berlioz’s Le Corsaire Overture and Beethoven’s fifth symphony. See you there?

Susan Elkin