About ORWO

We rehearse a varied selection of music throughout the day and put on an informal half-length concert in the evening. Lunch and coffee are provided, and there is plenty of time for a meal out before the concert and for going to the pub afterwards!

ORWO has its roots in the Oxford University Wind Orchestra (OUWO), and was originally formed to help ex-OUWO members keep in touch, but has evolved into a band where anyone of a reasonable standard is welcome.

Many of our players did once play in OUWO, but most didn’t; what we have in common is a relaxed attitude, a love of wind orchestra music, and a willingness to pick up unfamiliar repertoire with enthusiasm. So, whether you are a former or current member of OUWO, or just keen on wind bands, we would love to hear from you.

Repertoire varies considerably, but usually includes about 40-50 minutes of music each time. There’s always some good original wind orchestra music, and a variety of transcriptions/arrangements of music from other sources. Take a look at the previous workshops page for example repertoire lists.

20th Anniversary Concert Video

We held our 30th workshop in November 2024, our 20th anniversary year. To mark this auspicious occasion we played the entire Lord of the Rings Symphony No. 1 by Johan de Meij. Here’s a video of our performance: