History of the Orchestra

When George Barker assembled a group of instrumentalists to play for a performance of Handel's Acis and Galatea at Audley End in 1953 it became the basis of the Uttlesforde Orchestra that he formed in 1956, with himself as conductor. Together with Cambridge Opera the orchestra became involved in performances in many great country houses in aid of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and several rarely heard or entirely neglected British operas were performed. Meanwhile the orchestra themselves performed a regular series of concerts at the refurbished Saffron Walden Corn Exchange (Library and Arts Centre) and local young musicians became involved. George Barker was awarded the MBE in 1979 for services to music in Essex.

Uttlesforde Orchestra made its first overseas visit to Bad Wildungen in 1987 as part of the Saffron Walden town twinning celebrations. It has given many regular orchestral concerts featuring some notable soloists with a variety of conductors since George Barker's death in 1989. Highlights have included the official opening of Stansted Airport in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, semi-staged productions of Carmen and the Magic Flute at Wimpole Hall, participation in the National Trust's centenary celebrations and a concert at St John's Smith Square in 1996 presented by Richard Baker.

In 1999 Uttlesforde Orchestra presented a highly successful family concert for Saffron Walden's triennial Carnival, featuring Peter and the Wolf narrated by Nick Clarke of BBC Radio 4, and then teamed up with Saffron Walden Choral Society for a Millennium concert. Since then a varied schedule has included another family concert with Tubby the Tuba, a programme of Scottish music, Haydn's Nelson Mass with the Hallingbury Choir in Bishop's Stortford and a Christmas Concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Amnesty International. In the summer of 2001 many youngsters enjoyed a lively programme of popular music including Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra performed at the prestigious Thaxted Festival. The following year three highly talented young local musicians, supported by the orchestra, demonstrated their skills before an enthusiastic audience, again in Thaxted. The Orchestra was delighted to be invited back to perform in another family concert for the Saffron Walden Carnival in July 2002.

Over the years Uttlesforde Orchestra has worked with a number of different conductors, most recently Russell Keable, Julian Jarvis, Robert Phillip, Derek Harrison and Patrick Bailey. The players, some of whom are from George Barker's original group of instrumentalists, cover a wide age range and include a vast variety of professions. There are those who are quite local to Saffron Walden whilst others are drawn from a large area of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk.

Uttlesforde with an "e"?

Uttlesforde Orchestra was so-named long before local government changes created the Uttlesford District Council (covering the areas of Saffron Walden, Dunmow and beyond). Its name is taken from the Old Uttlesforde Hundred, 'hundred' being the name for the Saxon administrative unit into which counties in the south of England were divided, hence the use of the original spelling of Uttlesforde which appears on most of the older maps of the area.

George Barker Memorial Fund

George Barker was anxious to ensure the continuation of Uttlesforde Orchestra and to that end the George Barker Memorial Fund was established in 1989 in conjunction with the Friends of the Corn Exchange (now Saffron Walden Arts Trust). The George Barker Bursary is an annual award for young musicians in the Saffron Walden Area.