Cambridge City Orchestra hold special event for SOS

On Saturday 29 November, the City of Cambridge Symphony Orchestra will be donating the proceeds from a special concert to help SOS Children.

Money raised from the concert will help children in Chengdu, China following the recent disastrous earthquake and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently in the grip of a humanitarian crisis.

Conducted by Leon Lovett, the orchestra will perform Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll; Grieg’s Piano Concerto (performed by guest soloist Clare Hammond); Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’ and Britten’s ‘The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra’ (narrated by local playwright Mike Maran).

The evening will also mark an important development in the history of the City Orchestra, who are celebrating their change of name. They were until recently known as the Cambridge String Players but decided to change their name to reflect the orchestra's widening repertoire over the last few years. Conductor Leon Lovett says that the orchestra's name also demonstrates its commitment to its local roots.

Special guests Mike Maran (who began his career as a rock star in the 1970s and is especially known for his retelling of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) and well-loved pianist Clare Hammond (Cambridge University Graduate) have both lent their support to this special event.

Raising money for children in China and the DR of Congo

All profits from the concert will go towards SOS communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and China, two countries which have recently been affected by political and natural crises.

There are currently two SOS Children’s Villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo which provide homes to more than 300 children, many of whom have lost parents due to war. Fighting in this country has received little attention from the world's media until recently, yet it is one of the bloodiest conflicts since the Second World War. In less than five years, an estimated 3.3 million people are thought to have been killed, the vast majority of them civilians. As with all conflicts, it is children who suffer the most, so SOS Children continues its strategy to provide long-term support for affected children through its Villages, family support programmes, schools and medical centres.

SOS Children has been active in China since 1986 when the first SOS Children's community was built in Tianjin. There are now nine SOS Children Villages in China, which between them are home to over 1000 orphaned and abandoned children. Sadly, last May, China’s southwest province of Sichuan was struck by a disastrous earthquake which killed more than 68,000 people and caused more than 4.8 million to loose their homes. The earthquake caused some structural damage to the SOS Children's Village in Chengdu, which was just 130 km away from the epicentre. Monies raised from the concert will go towards the badly-needed repair work.

Event details

The concert will be held on Saturday 29 November, at 7.30pm at the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge. Tickets are £16, concessions £14; students £8; under 14’s and can be purchased at the Corn Exchange Box Office: 01223 357851 or email tickets@ccso-online.org.uk