About the music

Since our original performance when the programme consisted of six pieces, things have improved dramatically. The MRCO now has a choice of more than a hundred and sixty numbers, most of them arranged by our musical director Michael Copley.

Our repertoire includes classical music from the Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic periods featuring such composers as Handel, Beethoven, Delibes, Bizet, Ravel and Debussy; world music from Latin America, Africa, the Balkans and Russia; klezmer arrangements, marches, film scores, TV theme tunes and original compositions by members of the orchestra.

The repertoire continues to expand, with new pieces being added all the time. Any member of the orchestra is welcome to suggest ideas for future arrangements – just talk to our musical director, Michael Copley (or during the coronavirus pandemic, email him). 

Members of the orchestra get a weekly email update listing which pieces will be played at the next rehearsal and which new pieces have been added, with links to all the music. Your part can be downloaded as a PDF so you can practise beforehand if you want to, and there's also a MIDI file that you can listen to.