What to Expect from a Rehearsal

We start playing at 8pm, so players tend to arrive from 7:45pm. There is ample car parking behind the church, which is also a short walk from Heald Green train station.

Players bring their own stand, and light if required. If you are trying us out, you’ll receive a pad of music for the evening. Once you (hopefully) decide to become a paying member, you can take your music home if you like.

After tuning, we start playing. As you can see below, we play a wide range of music. There are often multiple players per part, and while our MD likes to rehearse tricky passages, and support us in improving, he is careful not to put anyone “on the spot”.

We play until about 9pm, then have a break to refresh and chat. Tea/coffee are provided for a small donation, as are the all-important biscuits! Please bring your own mug. We finish playing at 10pm.

Just Some of the Pieces we've Played Recently

- Phantom of the Opera - Les Miserables - Selection from Cats - The Greatest Showman - West Side Story

- Pirates of the Caribbean - Batman - Irish Suite - Lord of the Dance - Music from Hamilton - The Best of Bruno Mars

- Journey's Greatest Hits - Academic Festival Overture - The King and I - Glen Miller Medley - Jesus Christ Superstar

- 1812 Overture - What's Up at the Symphony - Pink Panther - PAN Highlights - Josh Groban Gold - Clog Dance

A Brief History of TLO

The original TLO was founded over 65 years ago in 1955 by Dr. Roman Marek (Mus., Doc.) as a pastime for the staff of Trafford Warehouses, where he himself was an accounts department supervisor. In the early days of TLO, Dr. Marek conducted concerts, led rehearsals and arranged large amounts of repertoire for the Orchestra.

Following the death of Dr. Marek in October 1971, the association with the Trafford Warehouses Ltd (who had given much help and generosity over the years) came to an end and the Orchestra became totally self supporting.

Musical Directors have always shaped the development of TLO; the baton has been passed, over the past 34 years, between Mr. Richard Fairbanks, Mr. Harry Heys, Mr. David Last, Mr. Timothy Ashcroft, Mr. Albert Oldfield to the Orchestra's present Musical Director and Principal Conductor Mr. Darren C. Wood, who has directed the Orchestra since February 2003.