Farnham Sinfonia will be performing a Spring Concert at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Farnham on March 14 at 7.30pm.

Orchestra founder and composer Matthew Taylor will conduct, with Vera Edgington on viola and Yoel Rubin on cello.

The programme will be Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture, David Matthews’ Winter Remembered, Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.

Farnham Sinfonia, founded in 2017, now has a new president - HSH Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern - whose associations include major musical institutions of national standing.

The idea for the orchestra arose from a simple observation - Farnham, long regarded as a culturally vibrant town, was home to a wealth of distinguished professional musicians.

Matthew said: “It seemed only natural that such a town should have its own orchestra.”

With St Andrew’s Church providing an atmospheric and acoustically resonant home, the inaugural concert in 2017 marked the beginning of what has become a steadily flourishing enterprise.

In an era when many orchestras struggle to fill seats, Farnham Sinfonia has achieved something remarkable: consistently strong audiences.

Matthew attributed this success partly to changing audience habits. He said: “Many people are understandably reluctant to travel into London for evening concerts, yet they still want to experience music-making of the highest quality. We offer that locally.”

The orchestra’s distinctive character has also played a key role. Many of its players are well known within the community, creating a strong local connection. Soloists are frequently outstanding young artists, including former pupils of the Menuhin School, where Matthew teaches and conducts. Alongside core repertoire such as Beethoven, audiences also encounter major contemporary works.

A recent concert drew more than 200 people, and Matthew pointed to several factors behind this momentum - imaginative and carefully structured programmes, soloists with established followings, a recognisable and individual artistic identity, strong support from St Andrew’s as orchestra in residence, and the dedication of an energetic board committed to promoting each performance.

Forthcoming seasons will feature a distinctive Schumann and Tchaikovsky series, as well as a complete cycle of Brahms symphonies - each a first for the town. The long-term ambition is to increase the number of concerts and establish Farnham Sinfonia as the leading orchestra in southern England.

In 1987, at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Matthew studied with Leonard Bernstein and was selected to conduct alongside him in northern Germany. The experience left a lasting impression.

Of Bernstein, Matthew said: “He was intellectually formidable, charismatic and deeply humane - one of the very few conductors able to transform the sound of an orchestra through gesture alone.”

For Donatus Prince of Hohenzollern, the decision to accept the presidency was straightforward.

He said: “Between London and Bournemouth, one can search for a long time for true symphonic excellence. I found it here in Farnham. The quality of the performances is extraordinary - three-dimensional, invisible yet tangible. It is something one can almost touch.”

There will be a retiring collection, with a suggested donation of £25 per person. The concert is free for under-18s and students. To reserve seats visit farnhamsinfonia.org.uk