The orchestra has a membership of around 50 players of all ages. It meets between 7.30 and 9.30 on Tuesday evenings in Firhill High School, 9 Oxgangs Road North, Edinburgh, EH14 1DP. This year’s term dates are listed here.
We perform two concerts each year, normally in December and May.
Details of our next concert can be found here.
The orchestra is a member of Making Music which represents and supports amateur and semi-professional music groups of all genres throughout the UK. It provides a comprehensive range of artistic and administrative services and development and training opportunities.
Making Music also lobbies on behalf of its members to national and local government and other agencies.
History
The Colinton Amateur Orchestral Society to give the orchestra its proper title, began life as the Juniper Green Amateur Orchestral Society which was founded in 1928. We have a concert programme from 1930 but no records are available after this date until 1952.
By 1953, the orchestra was operating as an evening class under the auspices of the Edinburgh Education Committee and in the autumn of 1958, the name was changed to the Colinton, Juniper Green and District Amateur Orchestral Society. In 1969, the Education Department withdrew its funding and the orchestra became self-funding through income from members’ subscriptions and concerts.
In 1978 the orchestra became known under its present title of Colinton Amateur Orchestral Society and moved to St Cuthbert’s Church Hall in Westgarth Avenue.
By 2019, membership had grown to around 50 players making the hall at St Cuthbert’s too small for our needs. In February we moved to the assembly hall in Firhill High School which provides us with the space that we need to rehearse comfortably.
Colinton Orchestra 