Since 1946
50+ orchestra members
Experienced violinist Susan Skone James leads over 50 talented orchestral members. Players’ skills range from good amateurs to experienced music teachers, and we are able to field full wind and horn sections together with trumpets and timpani to join the strings each week.
We can call on a wide variety of additional musicians when something special is required, and we are always interested in hearing from potential new players. We are particularly interested to hear from prospective new members for the cello and double bass sections. The orchestra is well regarded locally, and in recent concerts we have been fortunate to have been joined by some extremely talented soloists, including recent winners of the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition. The orchestra takes part in five well received concerts a year – latest reviews are shown below.
We rehearse on Monday evenings at 7.45 in Weald of Kent School, Tudeley Lane, Tonbridge TN9 2JP.
Listen
Our Music
Brahms Requiem Rehearsal
Read
Our Reviews
Review: Orchestral Concert 18th February – Holst The Planets
I am never disappointed by the superb output of Tonbridge Philharmonic Society and last Saturday’s concert was no exception. We were taken on a musical journey beginning on the wild tempestuous coast of Cornwall, to the country idyll of Norfolk, the bustling court of Elizabethan England, to the serene beauty of Bonnie Scotland, the crowded streets of London and finally up, up into very space itself to the hauntingly beautiful yet terrifying planets as brought to life by Gustav Holst’s sublime...
Review: Verdi Requiem
The very well-produced programme for the Tonbridge Philharmonic Society’s performance of the Verdi Requiem on Saturday 19th November 2022 in Tonbridge School Chapel contained some interesting memories from Joanna Mace on the last 75 years of the Society. Although now in its 77th season, this concert was intended to be a 75th anniversary celebration, postponed for obvious reasons. This reflection reminded me that I first sang with the choir in the mid 1970s, then played cello in the orchestra...
Review: Summer Concert – a programme of American Classics
You cannot say that Tonbridge Philharmonic Society’s programming is anything other than challenging! Last nights offerings were no exception. An interesting, if a little unexpected, evening was another triumph for this wonderful musical society. The final concert of the season began with aplomb with a lesser known, yet charmingly lighthearted Overture from Primrose by Ira and George Gershwin. Here the orchestra, as always, showed their prowess providing a wonderfully harmonious sound and what...