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Oadby and Wigston
Civic Orchestra
Conductor: Keith Smith
About the Orchestra
The Civic Orchestra was founded in 1966 to provide a series of instrumental concerts each season within the community. Since its inception it has been under the musical direction and conductorship of Keith Smith. In addition to a wide range of ‘Classical’ music the programmes for each season also include light-hearted, popular events, such as a ‘Summer Prom’ and the annual ‘New Year Viennese Night’. For many years the orchestra has followed a policy of inviting soloists from leading colleges of music. These young instrumentalists and singers have relished the opportunity to perform with an orchestra, and several of them have progressed to have an international career. These have included Dame Sally Matthews - soprano, John Mills – violinist – and the cellist David Cohen. The Civic Orchestra has often performed compositions by Leicestershire composers, and several works have been written specially for the ensemble. These composers have included Terence Dwyer and Geoffrey Tomlinson.
2026 Concerts
Victoria Harley
Future concert dates:3rd January 2026 - New Year Festival Concert
28th February 2026 - 60th Anniversary Concert (Venue to be announced)New Year Festival Concert with soloist Victoria Harley - Conductor Keith Smith
3rd January 2026 - 7.30pm
Wigston College
Wigston Magna
Tickets £12.00, OAP concession £10
School students free.
Tickets available at the door.We will be delighted to welcome Victoria Harley who is an operatic soprano from Filey, North Yorkshire. She holds degrees in music and musicology from the Universities of Huddersfield and Manchester respectively, and is a recent graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. There she worked with Amanda Roocroft, with whom she continues to study the dramatic, coloratura operatic repertoire. At Birmingham Victoria was winner of the Conservatoire Singing Prize and the St Clare Barfield Rose Bowl for Operatic Distinction, and she had the opportunity to take solo roles in several major operas.Outside the College she was a 2024 Artist with British Youth Opera, and has performed solo roles for several opera companies including that of Musetta in Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ for the City of Manchester Opera and the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’ for Greenwich Opera.In autumn 2025 she made her international debut at Wexford Festival Opera, both as a soloist and as part of the opera chorus.Victoria is passionate about contemporary opera and has had the opportunity to perform in several new works. Her concert appearances have included the soprano solos in Brahms’ ‘Requiem’ and Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’.In 2024 she was a Chorus Mentor for the Birmingham Opera Company production of Michael Tippett’s ‘New Year’.
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The Civic Orchestra was founded in 1966 to provide a series of instrumental concerts each season within the community.
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