From the moment Stephanie Waite sounded the fanfare that opens Handel’s glorious Concerto Grosso in D major, we knew it was going to be a very special concert. It was Saturday evening, 5th March, in the beautiful Norman Shaw “Arts and Crafts” church of St Michael and All Angels at Turnham Green, Chiswick. This was our chance to showcase two great Concerti Grossi for string orchestra, and the 13 students’ pieces, prepared as part of our 2022 Schools Composition Project with CoMA, that we had honed during the workshops the previous Thursday. And judging by the delighted response of the students themselves and their friends and families in the audience, the Nonesuch Orchestra did not disappoint.

Composer Errollyn Wallen shows how it’s done

As an inspiration to the young composers, the finale of the evening was Errollyn Wallen’s spectacular Concerto Grosso for violin, double bass, piano and strings. Stephanie Waite once again took the solo violin part, and was joined by our double bass Lon Fon Law - a student at the Royal Academy of Music - and our special guest pianist Andrew Zolinsky. The irresistible energy and hypnotic beauty of this eclectic work, and the dazzling virtuosity of the soloists, capped an evening that those of us present are unlikely to forget for a very long time.