The
YETHOLM SINFONIA 2008
LAST ORCHESTRA IN SCOTLAND
CONDUCTOR
After studying music in Manchester and London, Geoffrey Emerson spent five interesting years as the principal horn in Her Majesty’s Scots Guards Regimental Band before becoming the Chief Brass Tuner at Boosey & Hawkes’s old musical instrument factory in Edgware, Middlesex.
In 1981 he co-founded a successful sort of arts festival in Helmsley, (Ryedale) North Yorkshire and then ran it for the next fifteen years. He moved to Scotland (but only just) in 2005.
He fondly remembers appearing on stage fully costumed at Covent Garden, sitting on a bale of straw with Maria Callas, turning pages for Poulenc, drinking cups of tea (and slugs of Scotch) with Bing Crosby, and almost assassinating two noble cabinet ministers with a runaway xylophone, as well as playing at various times with such diverse ensembles as the Scottish National Orchestra, the Desford Colliery Band, the Jaye Consort of Viols and the Filey Ladies Handbell Ringers.
The YETHOLM SINFONIA was created in early 2006 in order to bring the greatest
music ever written to this beautiful part of Britain, and to give local talented musicians the
sorely needed opportunities to play it. We generally promote about ten varied concerts a year,
including a MOZART on TWEED Weekend Festival in March, and we manage to exist
entirely without any financial support from public bodies.
If you would like to be kept informed of our activities please telephone 01573 420 279
or write to Y.S., Pinfarthings, Bowmont Terrace, Town Yetholm, Roxburghshire.