When Fairfield shut for refurbishment in 2019, we moved our offices to St John’s, Upper Norwood to become and orchestra embedded in the community. Since then, we’ve made the move back to East Croydon but St John’s has remained as our community base.

For us, being an orchestra means being part of a community. Our work at St John’s Upper Norwood is shaped by the people who live there, guided by a local steering group of community partners who help us develop and deliver our programmes.

Our concerts are informal, around an hour long and introduced from the stage, with opportunities for young local musicians (and sometimes the audience) to participate in performances with our musicians.

Family concerts

We work closely with the thriving children’s group and Concerteenies and Polly Ives to create joyful musical experiences for families. Our series of storytelling concerts are designed as a child’s first step into the world of orchestral music, taking young audiences on imaginative adventures through stories, illustrations and sing-along songs that bring the orchestra to life.