About Us
Durham University Orchestral Society is made up of two orchestras: the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. Each rehearses once per week and performs around two concerts per term, some with each other, and others with various music societies within the university. This year saw some incredible performances take place at Durham Cathedral, Elvet Methodist Church, and St. Oswald's Church, with repertoire including Shostakovich's 10th Symphony, Mahler's First Symphony, Beethoven's 5th Symphony, and Beethoven's 9th Symphony in collaboration with Durham University Choral Society.
Rehearsals and concerts only make up part of your time as there is also a vibrant social side: we run regular socials, host parties, and put on events like our annual black-tie ball.
We pride ourself on being entirely student-led. This means all of our Executive Committee and Conductors are students at the university. That said, we regularly welcome professionals from institutions such as the Northern Sinfonia and the RNCM who hold masterclasses and sectionals, notably during our week-long course at the end of Easter term known as 'DUOS Week.' We also benefit from regular masterclasses with professional conductors such as Peter Stark and Jac Van Steen.
In addition to all this, each Easter break we go on tour to Europe and in the past have visited Madrid, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Barcelona, and most recently, Munich.