Founded in January 2022, South West Baroque Orchestra is the period instrument orchestra of the South West. We play Baroque music to a high standard and perform concerts throughout the region, particularly in areas which do not usually have concerts of Early Music. Members travel far and wide to play together and come from Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Bristol and Gloucestershire.
SWBO has performed at Wells, Exeter and Truro Cathedrals, and also at Sherborne Abbey. Elsewhere, Afternoon Tea Concerts are a speciality! Our last Tea Concert was at All Saints’ Church in Bristol in July 2024 and since then we have given an evening performance of Handel’s Dixit Dominus with the Collegium Singers at St. James’ Church in Taunton, where SWBO played the Telemann Concerto in D for Viola da Gamba (soloist Jacqui Robertson-Wade) in the first half of the concert.
”a most successful concert. The first half was quite sublime, the Handel arias were absolutely lovely, thanks for supporting those, and of course the Gamba concerto was a tour de force. We had some lovely feedback from members of the audience”
”Many thanks and congratulations to the South West Baroque Orchestra – ably led by Michael and Jacqui. I wish them well with their future plans and programming. It was a great collaboration between the two groups and I hope one which will continue…”
Audience comment about South West Baroque Orchestra’s inaugural concert on 6 July at Wells Cathedral:
“The opening bars of your first piece today were pure magic. They filled the space above you with music that melted into the architecture above. The audience was spellbound which is why you got the applause after the first movement. It was the most beautiful weaving of sound into space. I shall treasure it.”
Sponsors, Friends & Patrons
We are lucky to have Rondo Publishing as a sponsor for the orchestra but we are also looking for people and other sponsors to help support the orchestra. If you are able to help the orchestra in this way, please contact us. We also run a Friends’ Scheme which entitles members to priority ticket bookings, invitations to additional concerts given by members of the orchestra and your name mentioned in concert programmes. Please contact SWBO for further details.
