Easter Orchestra Week
The 2027 week study works are Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 and Zemlinsky’s The Mermaid.
There are also 24 play-through works, including symphonies by Bliss, Jongen, Saint-Saëns, and Weill. Click here for the full 2027 repertoire list.
Tuesday 30 March 2027 - Monday 5 April 2027
Ellesmere, Shropshire
On this page you will find information about Easter Orchestra Week:
- the format of the week
- specially reduced rates for students and young people
- repertoire
- subscriptions
- a video showing what the orchestra week is like
Applications are now open
About the Easter Orchestra
An annual residential week for adult musicians and students aged 18 and over, held at Ellesmere College near the market town of Ellesmere in Shropshire, UK.
The EOS experience
The week offers a balance of ambitious, rarely played works and established orchestral favourites. Supported by substantial string sections, we explore a wide spectrum of the orchestral repertoire in an intensive, challenging, and welcoming environment.
Musical direction
- Musical director: Michael Thorne
- Assistant musical director: Lewis Gaston
Read more about Michael and Lewis: Conductors’ biographies.
Schedule
- Morning: Rehearsal of the week’s principal works.
- Afternoon: Free time following lunch. Participants have access to college facilities, and rooms can be booked for optional chamber music playing.
- Late afternoon: Play-through of a major work, typically a large-scale symphony.
- Evening: Play-through of lighter repertoire followed by social time in the bar.
- End of week: An informal final concert showcasing the principal works.
Accommodation and facilities
Most musicians stay at the college, with single, twin, and double rooms available. A limited number of en-suite rooms are allocated strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Non-residential places are also available if you prefer to arrange your own local accommodation.
Facilities include:
- Dedicated rehearsal spaces for informal chamber groups
- Swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, and golf course
- On-site BYO bar and free car parking
- Local village pubs within easy walking distance
Player requirements and applications
Applicants must be over 18 when the orchestra week starts, of at least Grade 8 standard, with solid orchestral experience and strong sight-reading ability.
Competition for places across all sections is very high, particularly in the woodwind and brass sections, so early application is strongly advised. Priority is given to players who attended either of the previous two orchestra weeks, though places cannot be guaranteed for returning members.
Please note:
- The musical director’s decision on player acceptance is final.
- Do not make travel or accommodation arrangements until you receive formal written confirmation of your place from the EOS secretary.
The 2027 EOS Brochure summarises details of the Easter Orchestra Week, and can be downloaded here: EOS27 brochure final (small file size)
Free places for students and young musicians
A limited number of fully funded scholarship places are available for string and harp players aged 18 to 25. These cover the full subscription, including accommodation and all meals.
Places are allocated quickly, so early application is strongly recommended once bookings open.
Half-price places for full-time students and young musicians
A limited number of subsidised half-price places are available for instruments where vacancies arise.
Places are strictly limited, so early application is strongly recommended if you wish to be considered.
Reduced subscriptions for players aged 30 or under
Musicians aged 30 or under on the first day of the orchestra week qualify for a discounted subscription rate of £450.
- Strings, percussion, and harp: Complete the standard application form on this page, ensuring you select the reduced subscription option.
- Woodwind and brass: New applicants, or those who have not attended EOS in the last two years, must join the waiting list first.
Applications are now open
Repertoire 2027
Repertoire is subject to change, although we only make adjustments when logistically necessary.
The Repertoire Page contains a searchable listing of every piece played at previous Easter Orchestra Weeks since 1989.
Study works
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 11
- Alexander Zemlinsky
- The Mermaid
Afternoon play-through works
- Béla Bartók
- Kossuth
- Arthur Bliss
- Colour Symphony
- Michael Daugherty
- Raise the Roof, for Timpani and Orchestra
- Marcel Dupré
- Organ Concerto in E minor
- Joseph Jongen
- Symphonie Concertante
- Albert Roussel
- Bacchus et Ariane Ballet
Evening play-through works
- John Adams
- The Wound-Dresser
- Malcolm Arnold
- Padstow Lifeboat
- Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Leopold Stokowski
- Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor
- George Butterworth
- The Banks of Green Willow
- Niels Gade
- Echoes of Ossian Overture
- Ruth Gipps
- Ambarvalia
- Edvard Grieg
- Symphonic Dances
- Elena Kats-Chernin
- Rainbow Promise
- Franz Liszt
- Les Préludes
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Nino Rota
- Otto e mezzo Suite for Orchestra (William Ross 2014)
- Miklós Rózsa
- Ben-Hur Suite
- Camille Saint-Saëns
- Danse Macabre
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Sleeping Beauty Suite
- Joaquín Turina
- Danzas Fantásticas
- Kurt Weill, arr. Robert Russell Bennett
- Lady in the Dark – Symphonic Picture
- Grace Williams
- Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Final morning play-through work
- Camille Saint-Saëns
- Organ Symphony
Subscriptions 2027
Subscriptions (per person)
- Single room (shared bathroom)
- £600
- En-suite single
- £675
- En-suite double (per person)
- £645
- Twin room (shared bathroom)
- £570
- Non-resident
- £305
- Young person rate (aged 30 and under)
- £450
Accommodation and room allocation
- Allocation policy: En-suite rooms are limited and allocated strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Shared facilities: If an en-suite is unavailable, you will be allocated a single room with shared facilities at the lower subscription rate. These rooms are comfortable, often larger than en-suites, and bathrooms are shared with only a small number of players.
- Non-residential option: Players are welcome to arrange their own independent accommodation nearby.
Full board catering
Full board covers all accommodation and meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and daily tea, coffee, biscuits, and cakes during rehearsal breaks. Catering begins with dinner on the first evening and concludes with breakfast on the final day.
Shrewsbury station taxis
Players arriving by train should make their own way from Shrewsbury station to Ellesmere College. On request, the secretary can provide contact details of players arriving at a similar time so that players can coordinate shared taxis amongst themselves. Unfortunately, the minibus transfer service provided in previous years is no longer available.
What's it like to play at the Easter Orchestra Week?
Click the video below to hear what players and staff say about the Easter Orchestra Week.