2011-12 is Ealing Symphony Orchestra's 90th birthday season!

The season title "Unfinished Business" is reflected in each programme by one piece. We open with Bartok's Viola Concerto which had to be completed after his death by Tibor Serly. The November concert celebrates the new organ in St Barnabas Church (a fine Hill organ previously in Southsea) with Saint-Saens Organ Symphony and Franz Schmidt's stunning work Fuga Solemnis for brass, percussion and organ. However the real surprise is that ESO will be giving the world premiere concert performance of Charles Ives's Third Orchestral Set. This work, recorded by the legendary Ives speciliast James Sinclair on the Naxos Label, has been completed by Nors Josephson to produce a visionary work with an ethereal atmosphere that will contrast well with the lush romanticism of Saint-Saens's famous Organ Symphony.

Our actual 90th Birthday occurs in February and we celebrate the event with a work that received its premiere in February 1922 , albeit in its original form, Facade by William Walton. Elgar's Third Symphony was realised from the sketches left after his death by the composer Anthony Payne and was premiered in 1998. The concert is completed by John Ireland's beautiful piano concerto -  a performance that marks the 50th anniversary of his death. May sees another UK premiere with the completion of the Finale of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony by Nors Josephson. A contrasting first half sees Martyn Jackson, winner of the Ealing Festival Competition, play Stravinsky's Violin Concerto.

Finally another world premiere concert performance! William Alwyn's Violin Concerto was composed in the late 1930s and has been recorded twice. However the performance on Saturday 23rd June in St Johns, Smith Square will be the first concert performance of this beautiful work with the brilliant Lorraine McAslan as soloist.