by Rosie Wintour
Fifteen years after leaving school I suddenly had the urge to join an amateur orchestra. My flute had gathered dust under my bed for years and on several occasions had nearly been pawned for beer money while at university! All of a sudden I craved the sensation of being part of that orchestral thrum again. I wanted to make rich, full music with layers, harmony and texture, not the echoey whistle of a solo flute in my living room. I had no idea that it would be such a difficult task to find a group to join.
I’d never had to audition at school, I don’t think I was even aware that a flute spot was a highly coveted orchestral position. Flute vacancies in amateur orchestras in London are rarer than a blue whale sighting on the Thames! Terrified of auditioning after so many years of neglect I realised the only way out was to start a new amateur orchestra and claim a flute spot for myself!
The first thing I needed was a conductor and my lifelong friend, Cambridge music graduate and brilliant musician, Patrick Massey, was the perfect candidate. It took me 8 years to chip away at him before we sat down and seriously planned the launch of an orchestra. As we sat at a table creating the blueprint of this amateur orchestra the question of the name came up. We stumbled across the name of a small sailing boat and with some pleasant alliteration but no deep resonant backstory, The Pico Players was born!
As it happens, what was a playful idea of some naive amateur musicians has, with the help of a plethora of gifted members, grown to be a full-size amateur symphony orchestra playing regular concerts. It has spawned new friendships, rediscovered latent talent and been the source of immense joy. We’ve played in a host of wonderful venues across London, we’ve performed outside in London’s great parks, we’ve played alongside youth orchestras, we’ve performed on Strictly, accompanied celebrities at Carol Concerts, raised money for countless charities, and we have played to a sold out Cadogan Hall. Every milestone has felt like a great achievement and a delightful surprise and we love being open to what’s next!
If you are looking to join an amateur orchestra, like the sound of the Pico Players, have reached Grade 8+ (or equivalent) on your instrument at some point in life and would like to join us please do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!