Bach, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Mendelssohn and Dvořák, performed in the historic Hospital of St Cross chapel, Winchester.

The Orchestra Session gives its first-ever performance on Saturday 21 November 2026, in the medieval chapel at the Hospital of St Cross, Winchester.

We're a new 20-piece chamber orchestra built on a simple idea: professional and exceptional amateur musicians sharing one stage, one mission.

The programme

An evening of string repertoire you'll likely recognise, even if you've never known its name:

J.S. Bach — Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

J.S. Bach — Air, from Orchestral Suite No. 3 ("Air on the G String")

Pachelbel — Canon in D major

Vivaldi — The Four Seasons (selected movements: Spring, Summer, Winter)

Mendelssohn — String Symphony No. 10

Dvořák — Serenade for Strings

The concert will have an interval.

The venue

The Chapel at the Hospital of St Cross is one of Winchester's most remarkable buildings - founded around 1132 by Henry of Blois, and often described as England's oldest and most complete almshouse. Its 12th-century chapel has been called "a miniature cathedral," with stone vaulting, a central tower, and Transitional Norman-Gothic architecture rarely heard performed in.

Beyond the concert

A fixed share of every ticket sold is donated to charities working to make instrumental learning accessible to people who couldn't otherwise afford an instrument, tuition, or a place in an ensemble - a permanent commitment, not a one-off gesture.

Parking

There is limited parking available at the venue. Please consider parking in the city centre and hopping on the No. 1 Blue Star bus that runs a regular service and drops off right outside the Hospital of St. Cross. Alternatively, park in town and enjoy a 30 minute moonlit walk down the RIver Itchen which will bring you along side the Hospital of St. Cross (roughly 1.5 miles).

Description supplied by the event organiser.