7 July 2001, at Lympsham Manor near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. This was an outdoor concert in the grounds of the Manor, the house and gardens of which were open to ticket holders for the event. The orchestra played under an awning and the members of the audience (some 350) were seated on the lawn with picnic baskets and drinks between the manor house and the orchestra.

The programme included Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", the Prelude from Grieg's "Holberg" Suite, Vivaldi's complete "Four Seasons" wonderfully performed by Roger Huckle (the leader of the Emerald Ensemble), two Waltzes by Dvorak, Strauss's "Pizzicato" Polka, Mascagni's well-known "Intermezzo", three movements from Dag Wiren's Serenade for Strings (including the final movement which was used as the incidental music to the BBC's "Monitor" programme some years ago), and Strauss's "Radetsky" March which accompanied a spectacular firework display to finish the evening.

Our most grateful thanks to the Lord of the Manor for his kindness in making such a beautiful venue available, and to Robbie Burns and his team who very efficiently organised the event, including the lighting and sound, food and drink and other facilities, the stewards, and the firework display. And kept the rain away.

23 June 2001, Frenchay Parish Church. An appreciative audience in this splendid South Gloucestershire Parish Church on a warm summer's evening heard,
Elgar, Serenade for Strings
Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 10 for Strings
Grieg, Elegiac Melodies
Borodin, Nocturne
Dag Wiren, Serenade for Strings. Fortunately, unlike the previous week's concert, there was no adverse weather, so this audience was able to hear the delights of the pizzicato 3rd movement in all its detail.
The concert, as in previous years, was hosted by the Rector of Frenchay Parish Church, the Rev. Roger Thomas.

16 June 2001, All Saints Church, Weston-super-Mare.
In the superb warm acoustic of this fine 19th century church the Orchestra performed the following programme before a substantial and appreciative audience.
Elgar, Serenade for Strings
Vivaldi, "Autumn" and "Winter" from "The Four Seasons", a brilliant and romantic interpretation by Roger Huckle. The weather outside did its best to assist the performance with a virtuoso display of thunder, lightning and rain.
Borodin, Nocturne, the arrangement by Sir Malcolm Sargent for orchestra of a movement from one of Borodin's string quartets.
Grieg, Elegiac Melodies
Dag Wiren, Serenade for Strings. Again, the pizzicato 3rd movement had an unwanted accompaniment from the rain-storm beating on the church roof. The last movement of this work brings back memories to those of us who used to watch the current affairs programme "Monitor" on BBC.

25 March 2001. Clevedon Community Hall, Clevedon, Somerset. Same programme as on 17 March 2001.

17 March, 2001. Winterbourne Parish Church, S. Gloucestershire. Programme included,
Bach: Brandenburg Concert No 4 for 2 recorders, violin, and strings
Elgar: "Spanish Lady" Suite
Boyce: "The Shepherds Lottery" Suite for strings
Arensky: Variations on a theme of Tchaikowsky
Mendelssohn: Notturno from Midsummer Nights Dream, arranged for 4 cellos
Martinu: Serenata No. 2 for violins and violas

23 November 2000. A concert was given by the orchestra at a very-well supported St Matthew's Church, Clare Road, Cotham, Bristol. Lorna Osbon gave an enthusiastically received performance of Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto in G minor, while the second part of the concert was devoted to a performance of Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony (the "Scottish"). Rossini's Overture "The Thieving Magpie" started the concert.

OBITUARY October 2000. It is with great sadness we report the unexpected death of the violinist Clarence Myerscough at the age of 68. Clarence was a concert soloist and teacher with an international reputation. He was also one of the nicest persons other musicians could ever hope to work with and to know. His completely relaxed attitude to rehearsal and performance disguised both a profound knowledge of the music he was playing and a consummate technique that was redolent of a less frenzied era now long gone; and in rehearsal breaks he was a peerless raconteur. Clarence was well-known in Bristol, performing the Bruch G minor concerto with Bristol Concert Orchestra at Yatton in 1998, and the Mendelssohn concerto with Bristol Music Club Orchestra in July this year. It was surely only a matter of time before Bristol Chamber Orchestra would also have had the pleasure and honour of working with him. A full obituary of Clarence Myerscough appeared in "The Times" of 16 October 2000.

17 June 2000 (Saturday) Frenchay Parish Church, Frenchay Common, South Gloucestershire (near Frenchay Hospital, off the M32). A rewarding concert in one of the most beautiful country parish churches in the West Country, overlooking a traditional village green on a warm summer's evening. The audience was not quite as large as usual - there apparently being reports of alternative entertainment in the form of a football match on television - but made up for it in enthusiasm reciprocated by the orchestra, its soloists, and conductor Robert Pinniger.
Members of the orchestra were the soloists in Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso, Op. 3 No. 11 from "L'Estro Harmonico". Other works were Grieg's "Holberg" Suite, a Divertimento in F by Mozart, and Dvorak's Serenade in E for Strings. The concert concluded with Strauss's "Pizzicatto Polka" as an encore. The concert was hosted by the Rector of Frenchay Parish Church, the Rev. Roger Thomas.

6 May 2000 (Saturday) All Saints Church, Weston-s-Mare, N. Somerset. The highlight of the concert was Gordon Jacob's raarely performed second concerto for viola and string orchestra, outstandingly and brilliantly executed by Richard Crabtree before an appreciative audience. Other works in the programme were C P E Bach's Sinfonie No. 2, Dvorak's Serenade in E for Strings, Op 22, and the Passacaglia from William Walton's film score for "Henry V". The encore was Strauss's "Pizzicatto Polka".

29 January 2000 (Saturday) at Holy Trinity Church (12th century), Abbots Leigh, Bristol. Several members of the Chamber Orchestra played in the orchestra in a highly successful performance of Mozart's "Requiem", conducted by Eiron Bailey, an exciting newcomer to the symphonic and choral conducting scene in Bristol. The performance was preceded by a choral workshop in the church, the choir of 105 voices occupying the greater portion of the seating normally used by the congregation. The leader of the 19-piece orchestra was Diana Dixon. The solo singers were Gill Clark, Claire Griffel, Stephen Abbott, and Niall Hoskins.

23 January 2000 (Sunday) at Clevedon Community Hall, Clevedon. The programme included, Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto, Vivaldi's Concerto in D minor for 2 oboes played by Wendy Lewis and Mary Yates, Mozart's Divertimento K137, and Nielson's Little Suite Op 1. The concert, which was very well received in a packed hall, concluded with an encore of Strauss's "Pizzicatto Polka".

2 January 2000 (Sunday) at Christ Church, Downend, Bristol. This 2½ hour "Prom Praise", in a packed church, celebrated the inception of the new Millennium, and was a varied programme of orchestral, vocal, and solo instrumental and organ music including Schubert's "Trout" Quintet (Theme and Variations), Mozart's "Alleluia" and Puccini's "Nessun dorma" (both magnificently performed by their respective soloists), an unique performance on the organ of a short piece of music from the 1^st century AD, a stunning performance of a work by Hildegard for solo voice, orchestrations of organ works, hymn arrangements, anthems, and many more items too numerous to mention, supported by players from Bristol Chamber Orchestra; and, in the hymns and especially the "Hallelujah" Chorus from the "Messiah", with full and enthusiastic audience participation. Pity there won't be a repeat performance for quite a while...