About the Orchestra
The Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra has built an impressive reputation as one of London’s leading community orchestras, bringing together players of the highest standard from a wide geographical area for top quality music-making.
Founded in 1972, the orchestra has earned recognition across London and beyond. We perform five concerts a season, at venues including St Giles Cripplegate, St John’s Waterloo, and St John’s Smith Square.
The orchestra is conducted by Jonathan Butcher and is a registered charity (No. 1053703).
“A first-class amateur orchestra”, “a superb orchestral concert”
“The Westminster Philharmonic is notably adventurous in its programming and large-scale music is widely featured.”
Repertoire
The WPO’s repertoire balances adventure and tradition, as can be seen from our previous seasons, featuring mainly works for full orchestra.
The WPO has always been distinguished by the ambition of its programming. The orchestra has performed most of the Mahler and Shostakovich symphonies, and major works by composers such as Berg, Brahms, Bruckner, Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Richard Strauss, Tippett, Vaughan-Williams, and Wagner, alongside lesser-known composers whose music deserves a wider hearing.
We have a history of promoting less well-known British music with composers such as: Granville Bantock, Arthur Bliss, Ruth Gipps, George Lloyd, Arnold Bax, Gerald Finzi, the London premiere of David Hackbridge Johnson’s acclaimed Ninth Symphony, and (guided by our conductor and fellow resident of Croydon) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
We also perform an annual Summer Pops Concert at Langton’s Lakeside, Havering