The Academy of St Thomas orchestra makes its comeback after the pandemic with a concert on Saturday 16 October in St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.

After over 18 months of silence, the AST is delighted to be performing concerts again. The programme has been especially chosen to mark this special group of musicians and friends being able to make music together again and to remember past players through performance.

Norwich-born international violinist Hannah Perowne will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor to mark the orchestra’s return to the platform. Hannah enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral leader, chamber musician and soloist throughout Europe. She performs regularly as guest leader with orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, the Halle Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic. She has led and co-led orchestras in Germany and Europe such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg and the Komische Oper, Berlin.

Hannah has dedicated her concerto performance to the memory of her first teacher, the late Michael Badminton and the work of the Michael Badminton Young Musicians Trust who have supported so many young musicians in Norfolk over the last 20 years.

Elgar’s Serenade for Strings will pay tribute to the late Jane Slocombe, who sadly passed away in July, and was a much-loved violinist in the orchestra for 30 years. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s rumbustious Symphony No 8. Conductor Christopher George will be making his debut with the AST.

Tickets from £12 &U18s £5 from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ast or call Box Office: 0333 666 33 66