What is Orchestra of St John's?
The Orchestra of St John's is a flexible 'chamber' ensemble composed of the finest musicians in the country. Our players are freelance musicians who are employed on a project-by-project basis.

How is it managed?
The Orchestra of St John's is a limited company and a registered charity. A board of directors oversees the company which is run by a management team of 3 people, led by the Chief Executive. Our offices are based at Eltham College, who generously provide us with free accommodation.

How is Orchestra of St John's funded?
The Orchestra is not funded by the Arts Council England, who since earlier this year fund only a small number of chamber orchestra. Most of our funding comes from private donors and charitable Trusts and Foundations as well as ticket sales income and management fees when we are booked by promoters. Our current turnover is around £350,000 per annum.

What happens to the money I pay for a concert ticket? Surely that covers your costs?
Well, you might think so, but in fact tickets sales only cover around 40% of the costs of a concert. The rest we have to make up from donations and grants. The money is spent on everything from paying musicians and soloists (very important!) to marketing, hall, instrument and music hire, performing rights for any modern music, etc. We are a not-for-profit organisation so any surplus we make is ploughed back into the organisation - though most concerts rarely make any sort of surplus at all.

How can I support Orchestra of St John's?
There are several ways.

Firstly buy tickets for our concerts, but more importantly if you like what you hear, encourage your friends, colleagues and relatives to come too.

Secondly, you can sign up as a friend or supporter of the Orchestra. To find out about this click here .

Thirdly, you can remember us in your will. Please click here for more information about legacies.

Are the players employed full-time?
No. Almost all chamber orchestras in the UK employ freelance musicians on a project-by-project basis. John has built up a regular line-up of players who are always invited to play first, but they are sometimes booked to play with other people so you won't always see the same people at every concert.

Do I have to dress up for concerts?
Actually, no you don't. Some people in our audience like to make the most of the evening by dressing up in smart clothes, but plenty of people turn up in jeans and trainers too. Contrary to popular myth there is no dress code for our concerts, except for our annual Gala dinner which is black tie only.

How do I know when to clap?
This is a tricky one to answer - it depends a bit on the piece. Generally speaking audiences clap when the conductor and soloists arrive on stage and then wait until after the piece has finished before applauding. Some longer pieces are divided into smaller sections (often called movements) and it is now become accepted that audiences don't clap between the smaller movements. If you're unsure, the best advice is to wait and watch what those around you are doing.

Why can't I book on-line for Orchestra of St John's's concerts?
As we are such a small team we don't have our own Box Office, so we rely on venue's box offices and ticket agencies for tickets. If you look in our Forthcoming Events section we will provide you with an on-line ticket link if buying tickets on line is available.