London Phoenix Orchestra

Under the baton of Levon Parikian the London Phoenix Orchestra is regarded as one of London's finest amateur orchestras. We give regular concerts at some of the capital's top venues including St. John's, Smith Square and Cadogan Hall and have recently worked with prestigious soloists such as Andrew Marriner, former BBC Young Musician of the Year Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne and Tom Poster, Gold Medallist in the Scottish International Piano Competition. In late 2006, the orchestra's performance of Stuart Hancock's Bitter Suite was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of the Listen Up Festival. Bitter Suite was commissioned by the orchestra as part of its ongoing efforts to support talented young musicians at the start of their careers. Starting out as The Insurance Orchestra, the London Phoenix Orchestra was founded in 1924 by Harold Rawlinson to provide members of the insurance industry with an opportunity to meet regularly and enjoy playing music together. This fundamental enthusiasm for ambitious music and a friendly ethos remains at the heart of the orchestra's purpose to this day. Today players are drawn from all backgrounds, not just the insurance industry, and include music students.