New Bristol Sinfonia - About the orchestra

The New Bristol Sinfonia was founded by Jonathan James and had its first concert in June 1997, and has quickly grown into one of Bristol's most dynamic and prestigious amateur orchestras. It draws on local talent for its members from a variety of professional backgrounds, all who have the common goal of playing to the highest standard possible.

The NBS is a registered charity and as such seeks primarily to educate the general public in the orchestral repertoire by playing a balanced mix of popular and lesser-known works and through both pre-concert talks and introductions to each piece. Its commitment to the city is shown by featuring local artists' work in the publicity, by commissioning works from composers with links to the region, most recently Shumei Shumei by Geoff Poole, and by running successful education projects with local schools and colleges.

The orchestra has played with such internationally renowned artists as Natalie Clein (cello), Madeline Mitchell (violin), Rafal Zambrzycki Payne (violin), Guy Johnston (cello) and the Swingle Singers and has made several appearances at the International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol.

The orchestra celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2007 with a gala concert at the Colston Hall, performing Mahler Symphony No 2. To read a five star review of this concert click here.

We are very grateful for the support of our Patrons, The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Eric Wetherell and Prof. Baroness Finlay of Llandaff.

The orchestra receives little sponsorship and as such relies on audiences and the generosity of its own players to survive. If you would like further information about the orchestra, or ways in which you could support it, please contact Romana Bevington on 07720 770309 or email her by clicking here.

Prizewinner in international conducting competitions, James Lowe's work as Artistic Director of the Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra was featured in a four-part documentary shown in the UK on Channel 4 in 2010. Lowe is Artistic Director of the New Bristol Sinfonia, Principal Conductor of the Edinburgh Contemporary Music Ensemble, Principal Guest Conductor of Music for Everyone, and held the position of Associate Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Lowe continued his development as Benjamin Zander Conducting Fellow with the Boston Philharmonic, and has studied with leading conductors in master classes, including Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi, Bernard Haitink and with Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra. He assisted Haitink in performances of Mahler 9 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

One of two prizewinners in the Tokyo International Competition for Conductors and special prize winner in the Jorma Panula International Competition, he has appeared in performance with the Osaka and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Ballet, the orchestra of Welsh National Opera, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as working with numerous other ensembles in many European countries, South Africa and the USA.

In addition to his conducting work James is active as an educator, teacher of conducting and is undertaking research at the University of Edinburgh exploring ways in which orchestras can meaningfully engage with a greater public.