Returning to The Bishop’s Stortford High School, this special concert celebrates the power, passion and shared experience of orchestral music. From the infectious energy of Florence Price’s Colonial Dance and the sweeping natural landscapes of Bedřich Smetana’s Má vlast to the overwhelming emotional force of Dmitri Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 5, the programme explores music at its most compelling.

As part of our annual Side by Side project, talented young musicians from across the region join members of Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia for the first half of the concert, performing Florence Price’s joyful Colonial Dance and Smetana’s colourful and evocative Má vlast. After the interval, the full Sinfonia takes to the stage for Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony – by turns dramatic, lyrical and ultimately triumphant, it remains one of the twentieth century’s greatest orchestral masterpieces.

An evening celebrating the power of live orchestral music, bringing together musicians of all ages to share the concert platform in an unforgettable musical experience.