As one of the leading amateur orchestras in Scotland, the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra continues to attract some of the best amateur musicians in the region, and with its conductor Peter Cynfryn Jones has delivered many memorable performances to critical acclaim. The orchestra receives invitations to perform world premieres from composers as far afield as the USA and is in demand from emerging soloists keen to gain experience as they establish themselves professionally.

The Glasgow String Orchestra was founded in 1956 and gave its first concert the following year. After 10 years, it became the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, and more than 40 years later we are still going strong. Have a look on the History to see programmes of most of our concerts of the last five decades. Highlights of the Anniversary season in 2006, apart from three very successful concerts with wonderful soloists, were a civic reception at the Glasgow City Halls and a dinner and ceilidh for orchestra members, family and friends of the orchestra.

Our performance season consists of 3 concerts and usually features a guest soloist. GCO opened its 2009/10 season in Sherbrooke St. Gilberts' Church with works by Dvorak, Mozart, Haydn and Rossini. In the spring, they welcomed pianist Jill Morton, while in June, they will perform a new guitar concerto by John McLeod, featuring soloist Ian Watt, jointly commissioned by the GCO, the New Edinburgh Orchestra and Aberdeen Sinfonietta.  

 In November 2009, a group of members recently joined the Leipzig Academic Orchester for a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to a capcity audience of 1900 in the Gewandhaus, to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the reunification of Germany in the Gewandhaus. The GCO are looking forward to welcoming a party from Leipzig to play in the GCO’s Spring concert of the 2010/11 season in the RSAMD on Sunday 13th March 2011.

 In addition to our own concerts, we often accompany choral societies; most recently in May 2009 in a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah with Eastwood Choral Society. In April 2010, in association with the Sikorski Polish Club of Glasgow, the GCO were delighted to accompany the recently discovered piano virtuoso Aleksander Kudacjzyk in a Chopin 2010 Series performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1. Glasgow Chamber Orchestra will return once again to support the Glasgow Hospitals' Choir at the fundraising  CLIC Sargent Carol Concert in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Friday 3^rd December 2010.

 The Glasgow Caledonian University provides us with invaluable support, providing a venue for our weekly rehearsals each Tuesday night. We remain indebted to the University for giving us this essential resource. We are also grateful for the support we receive from Making Music Scotland.

To secure the future of the orchestra, we offer a GCO Friends and Best Friends schemes. A warm thanks to all who have supported us in this way over the years and we look forward to welcoming new friends.