Celebrating 90 years of music making & supporting ERSO's work with young people

The Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) was founded in in 1931 by Ernest Read, a renowned pioneer in musical education. ERSO has a long tradition of working with children and providing opportunities for young professional musicians at the start of their careers, following directly from Ernest Read's legacy

Our 90th Birthday Gala concert in March 2022 celebrates the orchestra's incredible history and Ernest Read's massive contribution to music education. We'll be joined by young orchestral musicians from Camden, giving them the experience of playing within a more advanced ensemble and encouraging them to continue with making music. We will also premiere two new pieces by the winner of our young composers competition, one featuring the winner of our 2020 ERSO Soloist of the Year competition - massive opportunities which are a huge boost to both of these talented young musicians' CVs .

The registered charity Music Illuminated manages the running of the orchestra and is staffed by a team of volunteer players. Each season we fundraise through trusts and foundations to enable the orchestra to deliver our children's concerts and our work with young professional musicians. We have also raised money through community fundraising including an intrepid ERSO cycle team taking on the Prudential Ride London-Surrey in August, 2019. We are very grateful to be financially supported by the Ernest Read Trust.

Help us to continue our work and to celebrate our 90th birthday and Ernest Read's massive contribution to music education. Any donation, of any size, would mean a lot to the orchestra and the young musicians we work with!