- Contract Type
- Fees
- Application Closing Date
- Auditions
- Trial Period
- Freelance
- Minimum ABO Category 1 Principal, plus LMP uplift
- 11.59pm, Sunday 2 July
- Friday 28 July
- September 2023 – December 2023
Established by Harry Blech in 1949, LMP is proud to be the UK’s longest established chamber orchestra. Since that time, we have built a reputation for artistic excellence, as well as pioneering ground-breaking work with emerging young artists and within our local communities. Over the past year, we have continued exploring a number of new and exciting concert formats, including Pipe Dreams, featuring organist Anna Lapwood who provided our audiences with an immersive experience by equipping her organ with cameras; our upcoming gaming concert featuring works by Jessica Curry, and hosting the launch event for Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture – a huge cross-genre, interdisciplinary project which saw the commission of brand new piece, the Oratorio of Hope. (You can read more about it in The Times review by Richard Morrison). This, in addition to our international work visiting nations such as Israel and Hong Kong.
Some things we’re proud of:
- In 1989, we became the the first orchestra in the UK to have a female Artistic Director (Jane Glover)
- In 2017, we won the Cultural Impact Award at the Croydon Business Excellence Awards.
- In 2018, we commissioned a special Anthem for Peace following the riots in Croydon, involving hundreds of artists and performers from across the borough.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were the first orchestra to produce free-to-view online content for audiences through our At Home with LMP series. We were also the first to perform in a public space when the first lockdown was lifted, and filmed an audience-free concert at Westfield Shopping Centre.
- We launched Croydon’s Borough of Culture year in April 2023 with an opening weekend concert complete with new commissions, films, and dance. You can watch our video trailer here.
Who we are
Don’t let our name mislead you – we don’t just play in London, and we certainly don’t just play Mozart! As well as our residencies at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, St John the Evangelist in Upper Norwood, and Opus Theatre in Hastings, we’re well known internationally for working with many of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists. We’re proud to have developed a reputation for making and playing adventurous, ambitious and accessible music, and for being at the forefront of embedding arts and culture into the life of local communities across the UK and beyond.
After celebrating our 70th birthday in 2019, we soon found ourselves navigating orchestra life during the pandemic in 2020. During that time, we remained active and busy, creating an award-winning digital concert series which reached millions of people – reaffirming our commitment to our audiences even in times of challenge, finding new ways to exercise our creativity.
Now, we’re excited to be working back in person, creating lots of new concerts and programmes to surprise and delight our audiences. We opened the launch event for Croydon’s Borough of Culture in April 2023, and we’ll be continuing to host our own concerts and events throughout the year.
Where you fit in
As Principal Second Violin, you’ll be a key player in helping to lead the Violin section, working to keep musicians united and collaborating well together, whether they are regular members or extras. Throughout the course of the year, you’ll be offered a wide variety of work, ranging from larger symphony projects at the country’s leading concert halls, choral recording sessions in cathedrals across the UK, as well as educational projects and community events across south London.
The Application Process
To apply, please send us an audio recording of the repertoire listed below via our Principal Second Violin Application Form. Audio recordings should be submitted via a downloadable link, (using a service such as WeTransfer or Dropbox), which you’ll need to include in the application form. Please note that streaming links will not be accepted, and all submitted recordings must be unedited and recorded on a phone.
If you would also like to be considered for the role of Extra Violin Player, please indicate this when completing the application form.
Repertoire:
- Mozart Concerto (No. 3, 4 or 5) 1st movement, exposition only (unaccompanied)
- Mozart Jupiter Symphony, 2nd violin part, finale from opening to bar 73
- Elgar Introduction and Allegro from figure 12 to figure 15
How to Apply
The final closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 2 July 2023. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to attend an in-person audition, which is currently scheduled to take place on Friday 28 July. During these auditions, applicants will participate in a screened audition, and then attend a chamber round on the same day. If you would like to apply but are not currently available on 28 July, we would still encourage you to submit an application as we may schedule auditions on alternative dates. For full details on the audition process, including the trial structure, please download the application pack.
It’s really important to us that we build an inclusive and diverse organisation that reflects the rich cultural blends of the communities we serve. We recognise that diversity brings a wealth of benefits to us as an organisation and our audiences, and strongly encourage applications from musicians of all ages, of Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds, women, trans and non-binary candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and those that are disabled.
If you have any access needs relevant to the application process, please get in touch with our Orchestra Manager Simon Nicholls via email to simon@lmp.org for a confidential conversation. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to sponsor work visas, therefore we can only consider applicants who already have the right to work and live in the UK.