We begin our season on Monday 7th September 2026, at Larkmead School from 6:15pm to 7:45pm. Parents are especially encouraged to join us at the beginning of this first session for a brief welcome meeting and to find out more about the season ahead. We look forward to welcoming new players and their families to the TVIO community.

This year’s repertoire has been carefully chosen to challenge and inspire our musicians, combining popular classical orchestral repertoire and music written for screen. As well as instrument-specific technical challenges, members will work together as an ensemble on playing expressively, achieving tight rhythms and dynamic balance. 

As before we will also overlap with some of Thames Vale Youth Orchestra’s repertoire for the season, exploring two movements from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Our Autumn programme includes two examples of music written for dance (Russian Sailor’s Dance and Dance of the Mirlitons) and a march (Schubert’s Military March No. 1). We also explore three pieces written for screen: Troika, Beauty and the Beast and John William’s Theme from E.T.

In Spring term 2027 we will continue with a second Nutcracker Suite movement: Trepak. This is joined by Waltz from Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite – written as incidental music for a play rather than a ballet. We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Star Wars film by exploring music from ‘Star Wars Episode II’ and we Go West as we take on a high-energy medley of western film favourites including ‘The Magnificent Seven’, ‘Hang 'Em High’ and ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’. 

We have two performances planned for the 2026-27 season, hopefully both at the wonderful Silk Hall in Radley. As with last year, TVIO will play during the afternoon and will then be encouraged to return for the Thames Vale Youth Orchestra evening concert – details to follow.

Details of the repertoire for Autumn term 2026 are shown below; the links are to sample performances of these works on YouTube and will open in a new window:

•     Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Mirlitons (from ‘The Nutcracker’) 

•    Reinhold Glière: Russian Sailor’s Dance (from ‘The Red Poppy’)

•    Franz Schubert: Military March No. 1

•    Sergei Prokofiev: Troika (from ‘Lieutenant Kijé’)

•    John Williams: Theme from E.T. (from ‘E.T., The Extra Terrestrial’)

•    Alan Menken: Beauty and the Beast (from ‘Beauty and the Beast’)

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Practice parts - print out your own copies

We email parts out at the start of term, including tutor-bowed parts for the strings. The orchestral folders with the original parts are kept with the orchestra at all times. Please download and print out your own parts for practice purposes. We expect that you will take these to your lessons for further study.

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TVIO Autumn 2026 rehearsal schedule

​​Our rehearsals take place from 6.15pm to 7.45pm at Larkmead School, Faringdon Rd, Abingdon OX14 1RF.

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1: 7th September - Welcome and introductions at 6:15pm
2: Monday 14th September - Full / Full
3: Monday 21st September - Full / Full
4: Monday 28th September - Sectionals / Full
5: Monday 5th October - Full / Full
6: Monday 12th October - Full / Full
7: Monday 19th October - Sectionals / Full
 

- HALF TERM -
 

8: Monday 2nd November - Full / Full
9: Monday 9th November - Sectionals / Full
10: Monday 16th November - Full / Full
11: Monday 23rd November - Full / Full
12: Monday 30th November - Full / Full

 

TVIO's end of term performance - date and venue

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CONCERT: Saturday 5th December 2026, Silk Hall, Radley College (tbc)

TVIO: Afternoon balance rehearsal (2:30pm) and performance (3:45pm)

TVYO: Concert (7:30pm)

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TVIO dress code for performances (tbc)

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Smart – plain coloured top (bright colour if possible) and dark bottom trousers/skirt (ideally black if possible). Players should ensure that their concert dress is both smart and comfortable to play in.​

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