People

Lawrence's first conducting experience was at the age of 4 in his grandparent's house with a knitting needle. He then got his first real baton at the age of 16 while directing a performance of Beethoven's Egmont Overture at the Kent Centre for Young Instrumentalists....

Angelo currently works as a professional musical director, arranger and multi-instrumentalist (piano, organ, violin, double bass, electric bass, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, flute and saxophone). He grew up in Upminster and attended the Coopers' Company...

Having been our conductor since 2005, Bill Brooks, decided in 2018 that he would like to retire after our concert in November. The Havering Concert Orchestra thrived throughout Bill's tenure as conductor. He made rehearsals and concerts enjoyable for...

Michael Axtell conducted the HCO from  1999 to 2005 Michael first conducted the HCO in 1995 and again in 1998. At our Spring Concert in 1999, he was the soloist in Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto. He took over the baton full-time in the summer of 1999. Hi...

Robert Ferguson conducted the HCO from 1979 to 1999. To date, Robert is our longest-serving conductor having conducted over 50 concerts. Robert was born in Havering in 1948. He first studied at the Guildhall School of Music and, at 18, at the Royal...

 

Brian Luck Clarinet and Saxaphone ( - 2002) Brian HCO Christmas Dinner (PhotoCredit Graeme Wright) Born in Dartford, Brian has been immersed in music for as long as he can remember. His musical journey began at school, where he first...

Born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Katy moved from Surrey to Essex when she was 6 years old. Once there she soon began her music career. Firstly, the violin when she was 7 and then the bassoon at 10 (that she learned at Engayne Music School in Cranham). Subsequently,...

When she was younger, Cathy was a member of Redbridge Youth Orchestra until the age of 19. After this, she only played for pleasure apart from helping when her children were part of their primary school orchestra. She worked at what was May & Baker’s i...

Donna Schooling spent the majority of her musical career helping to create music in Havering. Born in Harold Wood, Donna's infant school teacher, Mrs. Lindo, advised her parents to put her forward for violin lessons when she moved up to junior school....

Graeme Wright has been a hard-working and perceptive member of the orchestral committee for many years and became Chairman in 2019. He has also been our principal cel1ist since he joined in 1979. Born in Billericay, he showed an early aptitude for...

Jenny joined the Havering Concert Orchestra in 1977 when Robin Stone was the conductor and rehearsals took place at the old Drury Falls School (now the site of the 6th form college). For the last five years Jenny's husband Dave has also been playing with...

Joan Luck Flute Player (1961 - 2019) & Trustee (Current) Joan’s musical journey with the HCO, then known as the Hornchurch Orchestra, began in 1961 while she was training as a nurse at Oldchurch Hospital, R...

From the moment I walked through the door at the age of 19 into the HCO in the early 80's I got the warmest welcome.  I had outgrown the Youth Orchestra and was looking for something more 'grown up' - well I found it!  About half the orchestra would d...

Leigh was born in Neath, South Wales in 1944, and began his musical journey at the age of 11, mastering woodwind, percussion, and conducting. While a student at Neath Grammar School, he performed with the Glamorgan Youth Orchestra, the National Youth...

Madelaine Chitty began playing the violin at the age of seven as a pupil at Havering Music School. Through school and college, she knew that music was her main passion and pursued this greatly by involving herself in orchestras, choirs and string ensembles....

Malcolm Inman Commitee Member for Publicity 2018 - Current. Malcolm is a 'late starter' - he took up the cello at the age of 56. He had very little musical education. Under the tutelage of our Conductor Emurtris...

Paul was HCO Chairman from 2010 until 2019, and previously for several years during the 1980s. He first performed with the orchestra, as Guest Leader, in 1975, on which occasion he had to complete The Great Peacock,  conducted by the composer Humphrey S...

Sandy has been playing the violin since aged eight. Playing in the local youth orchestra was the highlight of her week. After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a Music BA in 2016, she moved to London. Here Sandy spent two years studying...

Stan van Lint Violinist 1982-2016 Stan was an enthusiastic and long standing member of the Second Violins. He joined in 1982 and his last concert was in 2016, when he decided to leave for health issues. Stan was also a committee member for some years....

Àánú was born in East London to Yorùbá parents and is proud of the way her heritage and its rich culture influences her music. She incorporates her classical training on the violin and her love for jazz with elements of Yorùbá culture through arranging and co...

Christopher grew up in rural Lincolnshire in a musical household and studied piano and clarinet from a young age. He completed his undergraduate degree on piano at Trinity Laban learning with Raymond Banning and Mikhail Kazakevich. He then gained a scholarship...

Dean Foley studied French horn under Jeffrey Bryant at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama from 1986–89. He went on to freelance predominantly with the Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia and Covent Garden Royal Opera orchestras. He also appeared a...

British/Romanian pianist Florian Mitrea was born in Bucharest but has been based in the UK since 2008, when his early passion for the piano led him to a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Florian’s piano studies started in B...

Iain Gibbs began playing the violin at the age of six and went on to study with Erik Houston at the Royal College of Music, Junior Department from 2001–09. He studied with John Crawford at Trinity Laban Conservatoire before completing the Masters C...

Irina Lyakhovskaya Pianist Irina Lyakhovskaya is a highly regarded pianist performing as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist. She has given many performances at leading international venues including...

Katie Tweddle was born in Romford, Essex and is currently completing her third year at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Daniel Jemison. She is thus following in the footsteps of her mother, Karen Tweddle, and Karen’s passion for m...

Lee Travers French Horn Lee Travers started learning the French horn, with Mike Magee, when he was 5. He studied with Jeff Bryant before and through Trinity College of Music, and with Roger Montgomery on natural...

Madeleine Mitchell, described by The Times as "one of the UK’s liveliest musical forces (and) foremost violinists", has performed in a wide repertoire as a soloist and chamber musician in 50 countries, in major festivals including the BBC Proms, and i...

Matthew Strover, 23, began learning the cello at an early age at Havering Music School and then at the Coopers’ Company and Coborn School, progressing to the Junior Royal Academy of Music at 15. While at JRAM he was a member of the Symphony Orchestra u...

Paul Cott studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Richard Bissill, Jonathan Lipton and Jeffrey Bryant, graduating in 2007. The following year he was a member of Southbank Sinfonia, with whom he appeared as a soloist in Mozart’s Sinfonia C...

Simon Tatnall Simon is a professional opera singer, writer, director of his own opera company and of several musical groups, as well as being our Conductor’s father. Simon narrated the story of Peter and the Wolf in our Spring Family Concert in March 2...