What better way than to commemorate our 60th Anniversary celebrations with a truly astounding concert - one where the season goes Out With A Bang!

This is officially our Gala concert to mark our 60th Anniversary, and thus we are incredibly grateful to be joined by our friends in Bedford Choral Society: their wall of sound is beyond compare!

We end with just two pieces in this last concert, but their power and pomp promise to provide! Shostakovich's grandiose and triumphant 'Festive Overture' leads the way, a celebratory piece commissioned for the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution.

And speaking of anniversaries, 2027 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of the composer around whom this whole season is structured - Ludwig Van Beethoven. We thus see the season off in spectacular fashion, with his ninth symphony.

Regarded along with the fifth as a masterpiece of the classical genre, it contains many treasures - among them the 4th movement, more commonly known as the bombastic 'Ode To Joy.'

So join us for our very own 'Ode To Joy,' as we commemorate the Bedfordshire Orchestral Society's 60th Anniversary, and the 200th anniversary of the death of a truly monumental composer. This 'Grand Finale' will contain these two knockout compositions:

Shostakovich's Festive Overture
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 - 'Choral'

So save the date - Saturday 22nd May 2027, 7:30pm, at Bedford Corn Exchange - for what promises to be a phenomenal celebration!

We hope to see you there!