Programme

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The Constella Philharmonic

Autumn Concert Programme

Maurice Ravel – Une barque sur l'océan
Premiered:1906 | Duration: ~9 minutes

Maurice Ravel’s Une barque sur l’océan (A Boat on the Ocean), originally composed for solo piano as part of Miroirs (1905), was orchestrated by the composer in 1906. The work paints a shimmering seascape, where the orchestra becomes both vessel and water. Long, flowing string lines evoke the boat’s gentle rise and fall, while woodwinds and harp glisten like sunlight on waves. Surging climaxes suggest sudden squalls, subsiding into vast horizons of calm. Ravel’s orchestral brilliance transforms impressionistic colour into living movement, capturing the sea’s beauty, danger, and mystery with both intimacy and grandeur.

Benjamin Britten – Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Composed: 1945 | Duration: ~17 minutes

The Four Sea Interludes are drawn from Britten's celebrated opera Peter Grimes, in which the sea is both a physical setting and a symbol of fate. Each interlude captures a vivid seascape and emotional atmosphere. Dawn shimmers with stillness and expectancy; Sunday Morning rings with bright bells and bustling rhythms; Moonlight casts a hushed, luminous glow; and Storm unleashes the sea’s terrifying power with surging orchestral force. Heard in sequence, they create a powerful symphonic portrait of the sea in its many moods, embodying Britten’s gift for orchestral colour and dramatic intensity.

--- INTERVAL ---

Margaret Bonds – Troubled Water arr. Geyer
WORLD PREMIERE| Duration: ~5 minutes

Margaret Bonds (1913 – 1972), one of the leading African American composers of the 20th century, wrote Troubled Water in 1967 for solo piano. The work is a creative reimagination on the spiritual “Wade in the Water”, comprising of rich blues-influenced harmony and jazz grooves. In it's original form, it is beautifully and virtuosically written for piano. This new orchestration utilises the full power and colour of the symphony orchestra to celebrate Bond's artistry and firmly establish her as one of the 20th century greats.

Claude Debussy – La mer
Composed: 1905 | Duration: ~25 minutes

La mer is one of the most celebrated orchestral evocations of the sea. Subtitled “Three Symphonic Sketches”, the work unfolds in three movements: From Dawn to Noon on the Sea, Play of the Waves, and Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea. Rather than a literal depiction, Debussy paints the sea’s moods with shimmering orchestral colours, shifting harmonies, and rhythmic fluidity. At times radiant and serene, at others turbulent and unpredictable, La mer reflects Debussy’s fascination with nature’s elemental forces, creating a sound world that is both impressionistic and symphonic in scale and power.

Players

Flutes

Holly Walker

Sophie Miller-Molloy

Aoife Scully

Oboe

Toby King-Cline

Jayne Henderson

Clarinet

Berdel Gulsen

Hat Wells

Steph Clark

Bassoon

Michael Sorensen

David Stern

Horn

Katie Smith

Lewis Davies

Matt Mitchell

Charlotte Silver

Trumpet

Elisabeth Lusche

Liv Munday

Cornet

Hannah Stevens

Trombone

Hugh Morris

James Owen

Tuba

Callum Davis

Piano

Ivanna Davydiuk

Violin I

Tim Rathbone

Patrick Flynn

Katy Theodore

Aimee Presswood

Helena Bayley

Christina Schuetz

Chris Wan (via Joanna)

Sergei Batishchev

Anastasia Lewis

Bita Khoshnood

Violin II

Joanna Cheng

Lauren Sadowski

Eunah Shin

Mattea Leow

Eorann O'Connor

Aimee Ashmore

Viola

Nadia Eskandari

Emily Braybrook

Lancelot Beja-Battais

Cello

Karin Hawksworth

Duncan Wall

Felix Waller

Rachael Kennedy

Inez Januszczak

Hazel Browne

Rob Brooks

Double Bass

Eduard Marcu

Manuel Oglio

Harp

Emily Harris

Christabelle Sheum

About

The Constella Philharmonic is a new, elite "amateur" orchestra catering for highly trained and skilled musicians who are not working in the industry professionally. The ensemble made its debut in November 2024 at St. Giles Cripplegate, London conducted by Leo Geyer and Jonathan Gibson.

Leo Geyer

Born in London of Anglo-Indian descent, Dr Leo Geyer is a composer, conductor, and presenter. He began his career as a Cover Conductor at the Royal Ballet and Opera. Now, Leo is the founder and Artistic Director of Constella Music - the creative powerhouse that performs, broadcasts and publishes Leo’s work. This includes Constella’s performances of Leo's restorations of unheard music written in Auschwitz, resulting in worldwide news coverage and the documentary film The Lost Music of Auschwitz, hailed by the Financial Times as “profoundly moving”.

As a guest conductor, Leo has collaborated with the BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Opera, Birmingham Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the National Theatre. Leo has a doctorate in composition from Oxford University and has received various accolades for his music which includes the Lord Mayor’s Composition Prize. His music has been described by The Times as “imaginative and beautifully shaped” and has received performances by the English Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Rambert Dance Company, and Opera North. Following his presenter traineeship with the BBC, Leo has appeared on numerous programmes on BBC Radio 3 and 4, ITV, and Sky Arts.

Jonathan Gibson

Jonathan is an alumnus of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the University of Manchester and has been working as a professional musician and music educator since graduating from the UoM in 2014. Noted for his enthusiasm, commitment and versatility, Jonathan is in high demand as a conductor, cellist, composer and arranger, with numerous concerts, recordings and studio releases throughout the year.

As a music educator Jonathan is committed to offering the highest quality classical music experiences to young people who wouldn’t otherwise have had access. He is proud to have worked for music education charity MiSST (Music in Secondary Schools Trust) since 2017 – Jonathan is the charity's Director of Excellence Programmes and runs their MiSST Music Academy.

In addition, Jonathan is the Orchestral Cello Tutor for the English Schools Orchestra, Orchestral Manager for the London Contemporary Music Festival and music editor for Constella Music – a role and partnership with Leo Geyer which led excitingly to the formation of the Constella Philharmonic!

Joining

Constella welcomes interest from prospective players. We would expect Constella Philharmonic members to have undertaken a music degree or have acquired a similar level of training, experience and musicianship.

The orchestra offers a professional music-making environment with an intensive rehearsal period in a high-quality venue. There is a strong social element to the orchestra – we pride ourselves on nurturing a welcoming atmosphere that keeps things fun both during and after our rehearsals and concerts!

Our standard rehearsal schedule is several hours on Sunday, followed by a Thursday evening session and concluding with the concert on Saturday. We plan to give 3-4 concerts a year. There is a small fee to join, but members can have their fee reduced or waived by bringing audience members to our concert — full details when you sign up!

If this is of interest to you, please contact us.

Constella Music

Founded in 2011, Constella Music is the creative powerhouse behind the award-winning composer and conductor Leo Geyer. Constella publishes and performs Geyer’s works, which span opera, dance, film, and concert music, and serves as a production company for his growing portfolio in broadcast presenting.

Collaboration lies at the heart of our organisation, bringing together pioneering professional musicians and dancers, as well as partnerships with visual artists, poets, historians, garden designers, architects, scientists, healthcare workers, and more. The driving force behind Constella Music is harnessing the expressive power of music for social good.

Constella is currently undertaking a major project to restore and perform long-forgotten music written in Auschwitz. This includes the Sky Arts documentary-film, The Lost Music of Auschwitz which has been hailed by the press, such as the Financial Times, describing it as "profoundly moving". We have given performances of music from Auschwitz in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, and released a recording on YouTube, which garnered worldwide news coverage.

The next phase of this project will be a new opera-ballet commemorating 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, premiering in June 2025. The production will be choreographed by the internationally acclaimed Claudia Schreier, with restored music performed by Constella Music. Tickets can be purchased here.

Geyer’s catalogue has been published by Constella and is available on Nkoda. This has led to performances of our publications by Opera Holland Park, London Sinfonietta, the Elmore Quartet, Theater Aachen, and others. Last year, Constella also premiered new music by Leo Geyer at both the Science Museum, the Courtauld Gallery. Constella and is making a recording of Geyer’s restoration of the live cinema orchestra score for the Ukrainian silent film Man with a Movie Camera, following the recent premiere with the Luxembourg Kammerata.

At Constella, we believe everyone has the right to enjoy and participate in music. Our award-winning virtual performance program, Connecting Stars, has provided over 2,000 bespoke music and dance performances for the UK’s most vulnerable individuals. As part of this initiative, we are delivering a program for students and emerging artists to increase access for diverse young people entering the performing arts. This year also marks the founding of the Constella Philharmonic, a new orchestra that offers non-professional musicians opportunities to participate in professional-level performances.

For more information about Constella's portfolio, please click here.