Performances

The orchestra usually gives 2 or 3 formal or informal concerts a year, in churches, schools or community buildings in Norfolk or Suffolk, often to assist other charities and deserving causes with their fund-raising activities. If we could assist you or your group in that regard, our Director of Music, Margery Baker, will be pleased to discuss and suggest a programme suited to the occasion and the venue. She can be contacted here

Open Events

We hold ‘Come and Play’ days at least once a year. They’re open to all players subject only to a few necessary restrictions, a minimum level of ability (primarily to ensure players’ personal enjoyment) and the availability of places. Those interested can find further information here. Players can also register their interest in our next open event here.

Demonstrations

We can provide a sizeable orchestra, a smaller instrumental group or just one or two players to demonstrate music and, or particular instruments to schoolchildren or community groups. If you have anything of that nature in mind, our Director of Music will be pleased to discuss your ideas and possible requirements. You can outline them for us here.

Support

As a registered charity, we endeavour, when funds allow, to support music in schools and the community, either with monetary donations or in some cases by providing instruments on a free-loan basis. In the current year we have donated £500 to the Norwich Music Library to support the continued availability to local orchestras of printed music, known as ‘orchestral sets’. We have also been pleased to provide, at a cost of around £1,000, a child-sized double bass to the Norwich ‘Sistema’ group, for use by one or more of its younger players.

Hire of Instruments

We have a limited range of musical instruments available for hire. A list can be found here.

Music for special occasions

A five-minute solo, some background or incidental music, or a full two-hour concert - our Director of Music will be pleased to discuss and suggest a programme suited to the occasion, the venue and available performers. We particularly enjoy working with choirs, an activity which adds a welcome further dimension to our music-making, if not to our repertoire! You can contact Margery Baker here.

Our Patrons, Friends and Volunteers

It would be a considerable oversight not to include mention of these groups in the context of our activities, as without their support, some may simply not be possible! On the practical side, serving refreshments, welcoming audience members, helping to set out chairs, to move furniture for performances, or simply assisting with the distribution of publicity material, are all very necessary functions and roles in which volunteers can provide meaningful and much-valued assistance; free admission to performances being one of the rewards of course!

If you could help in any way, do please let us know. You can do so here. 

However, financial support, particularly in the current climate, remains as welcome as ever. To put matters in context, the support we have been able to provide to other deserving groups in the last year (and thanks only to prudent financial management over a considerable period) equates, in monetary terms, with the total annual subscriptions of no less than 25 members – over two-thirds of the orchestra!

If you would like, therefore, to make a one-off donation, or perhaps become a ‘Friend’ of the orchestra by making a regular - either annual or half-yearly - contribution towards our work, our Treasurer, Andrew Baker, will be pleased to discuss the various options with you personally. He can be contacted via our General Enquiry form here or by telephone on 01379 852460.

The Pulham Orchestra | Norfolk | Suffolk