ABOUT US
Music Director
Photo Erik Berg
HSO is delighted to announce the appointment of Alexander Walker as it’s new Music Director. Alex took up his post in November 2024 in time to direct the Christmas concerts. Since Ian Brown’s retirement in 2022, and his marathon 27 years at the helm, HSO has benefitted from a wonderful mix of inspiring conductors, including Leon Bosch, Jacques Cohen, and Margarita Mikhailova. Under Alex’s talented leadership, HSO hopes to build on its past success to inspire future audiences and players alike.
Alexander Walker has pursued a unique path, championing the music he loves, in places where it is not well-known, conducting pioneering performances all over the world. He has contributed to the rediscovery and re-evaluation of several significant composers with his innovative discography. In 2017, the Elgar Society honoured him with their highest award, the Elgar Society Medal.
Alexander is a professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and teaches conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he conducts the Junior Sinfonia and Symphony Orchestras.
Leader
David Burton counts himself extremely fortunate that he started his musical studies in the 1970s when State funding and support for music in schools and local youth orchestras was at its height. His first teacher, the American Mary Carroll, was a student of Shinichi Suzuki, the creator of the eponymous revolutionary violin teaching method. By a stroke of good fortune she chose David’s home city of Lincoln to found one of the first Suzuki groups in the UK.
This early influence was carried forward by David’s next two teachers: Trevor Jones, who had studied with the influential Hungarian/American pedagogue Paul Rolland; and John Ludlow at the Royal College of Music. John was co-leader of the Royal Opera House Orchestra and was Dame Margot Fonteyn’s violin soloist of choice in the famous pas de deux from Swan Lake, and David was honoured to be recently asked to perform the same solo with the Redhill Sinfonia.
Photo Emma Sieling
David now divides his time between conducting, playing chamber music with the Hammig String Quartet, leading Henley Symphony Orchestra and Redhill Sinfonia, and teaching. As conductor he has worked with Redhill Sinfonia, Dorking Chamber Orchestra and directed numerous workshops and residential courses for keen amateur musicians. Conducting highlights include performances of Tippett’s Concerto for Two Orchestras, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, Bach’s Musical Offering and Bartok’s string quartet no. 1.
David is a founding member of the Hammig String Quartet, now in its fourth decade, which has been giving regular recitals nationally and internationally. Having performed all of Shostakovich’s 15 quartets, the Hammigs are embarking on an odyssey of Bartok’s complete oeuvre.
Works performed
We have explored much of the standard symphonic repertoire and some contemporary music, including the first performances of several commissioned works.
In recent years, we have performed ambitious works such as Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ and Strauss’s ‘Alpine’ Symphony. We have accompanied a number of distinguished soloists in concertos including György Pauk, Isabelle van Keulen, Steven Isserlis, Freddie Kempf, John Lill, Tasmin Little, Michael Collins, Evelyn Glennie, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, worked with many outstanding young artists at the outset of their professional careers.
See our full list of the works we’ve played from 1970 to the present day.
Performances home and abroad
The Orchestra has made six visits to Falaise, Henley’s twin town in Normandy, giving concerts in the great Norman church of St Gervais, the magnificent new Forum Theatre and the Eglise Sainte-Trinité.
In summer 2007 the Henley Symphony Orchestra joined the combined choirs of Falaise for two memorable and packed performances of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria. Three successful and enjoyable trips have also been made to Henley’s other twin town, Leichlingen in Germany (1993, 1999 and 2005). More recently, the orchestra travelled to Henley’s twin town of Bled, Slovenia in July of 2017 to play in the Bled International Music Festival and Bled TV’s video can be seen on YouTube opposite.
In July 2008 the Henley Symphony Orchestra participated in the Henley Festival Trust’s outreach project SHOUT! by performing a specially commissioned work together with young musicians from the area. The orchestra also presents a regular Christmas concert for pre-school children.
HSO was delighted to take part in the Cultural Olympiad for London 2012 with its performances of the specially commissioned Making Music Overture by Orlando Gough.