Marlborough College music staff feature in major North Wiltshire Orchestra concert

Wiltshire pianist Paul Turner will play Gershwin’s ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue with the North Wiltshire Orchestra on March 9 – and the conductor will be a fellow member of the Marlborough College music staff, Alex Arkwright.

The concert, in St Andrew’s Church, Chippenham, will include Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No 2 for Variety Orchestra.

Paul Turner studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music where he won many prizes and awards culminating in the Queen’s Commendation for Excellence and the Peter Pears Accompaniment prize which was adjudicated by Peter Pears himself.

Paul specializes in chamber music and has worked with many eminent musicians and has appeared in many leading concert venues both at home and abroad.   

Beside his appearances as a performer, Paul is widely known for his work promoting and organizing concert series including one at St. John’s Smith Square London. Closer to home he is also the inspiration behind the Swindon Recital Series.

Paul teaches music at Marlborough College, where he collaborates in chamber music with Philip Dukes, the College’s Artistic Director and internationally acclaimed Viola Player who will be appearing with North Wiltshire Orchestra this summer.

The well-known trumpet player Alex Arkwright was appointed NOW’s conductor last year.  He is not only a very sought after performer, but is a conductor, adjudicator and teacher – he is currently head of woodwind and brass and head of performance at Marlborough College.

Founded in 1966, the North Wiltshire Orchestra is one of Wiltshire’s oldest and finest amateur orchestras. In 1998 the NWO started its relationship with St Andrews Church Chippenham – its current concert venue.

It does a great deal of community work and raises funds for local charities – at the end of this concert there will be a retiring collection for the Dorothy House Hospice.

And if you can’t place the Shostakovich piece, its ‘Waltz 2’ was heard in the haunting opening music to Stanley Kubrick’s last film Eyes Wide Shut.

To see the full programme and find out how to get tickets – click the date on our What’s On calendar.