Primavera Chamber Orchestra

Formed in 1986 by its artistic director, violinist, Paul Manley, the name of the group is based on the Italian word for spring, reflecting the joie de vivre that these musicians bring to their performances. As one of Britain’s finest ensembles, Primavera has created an enviable reputation with an accolade of reviews at international festivals in Britain, including Brighton, Canterbury, Newbury, Perth and also abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Malta, France and Slovenia. They have made regular appearances on the South Bank and at Wigmore Hall and have specialised in presenting chamber music series in country houses in the UK. This included two TV series entitled Music in Mansions for Meridian Television. As a small ‘chamber band’ they have recorded highly appraised CDs of Mendelssohn string symphonies, Russian string works, a French and English collection of string music and as an ensemble, Mendelssohn's Octet and First String Quintet. Recent tours abroad included concerts at the Perth Festival, Almera Festival in the Netherlands, Vasto, Parma, Emilia Romagna, Sadurano Festivals in Italy and Ljubljana Festival in Slovenia. New commissions have included works by leading composers such as Paul Patterson, Patrick Gowers, Gavin Bryars, Malcolm Lipkin and Phillip Glass. The band has also worked with other prominent artists including Bruno Canino, Larry Adler, Robert Cohen, Raphael Wallfisch, Emma Johnson, Sir David Willcocks, Michael Chance, and Robert Tear.