Alton Concert Orchestra will perform its Winter Prelude Concert at the Alton Maltings Centre on November 23 at 7.30pm.

It promises a charming programme of seasonal music from Prokofieff’s Romeo and Juliette and Sibelius’ Karelia Suite to Slavonic Dances from Dvorak and music by Saint-Saens.

Accomplished Clarion player Alessandro Vazzana, a Treloar College alumnus, will play the premiere of conductor Chris Gardner’s Clarion Call, written for Clarion and orchestra.

The Clarion is a new instrument that opens the world of music performance to artists with a disability like Alessandro, who plays using a gyroscopic head mouse.

Alessandro recently finished his time with the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO) and this summer formed a Clarion trio with two fellow NOYO members.

Alton Concert Orchestra conductor Chris Gardner said: “In April this year, the orchestra committee became aware of an event being held at Treloar College in Alton: a music course for the National Open Youth Orchestra which was to be followed by a number of performances around the country, in prestigious venues in major cities.

“The experience was remarkable in many ways. We learned how existing instruments can be modified so they can be played by people who do not have full use of their limbs. We learned about new instruments, invented to meet these needs. Above all, we saw a sizeable group of young people having a whale of a time doing something that would have been beyond their wildest dreams only a few years ago.

“Financial support is not unlimited and involvement is restricted by age. We wanted to be able to give these musicians a place in the heart of a ‘conventional’ orchestra. This has not been an entirely easy process, and many people might frown at the inclusion of an electronic instrument in a conventional orchestra. In historical music terms, the nearest equivalent is the Theremin, an instrument known best for featuring in the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations.

“Alessandro Vazzana has now joined our orchestra as a Clarion player. We have been able to provide two solo pieces for Clarion and orchestra, one, Clarion Call, written specifically for Alessandro, the other a simple adaptation of Saint-Saens’ The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals. We have also engineered the presence of the Clarion into a number of other pieces during the evening.”

Alessandro uses the more advanced version of the Clarion only available to NOYO musicians and alumni. He is also involved in other initiatives as a solo player. For more information visit https://alessandro-vazzana.my.canva.site/#home

The concert will also feature talented oboist Abby Turnbull, who is currently studying for her A-levels while attending Junior Trinity, where she is first study cellist and learns conducting.

Refreshments will be available before the concert and during the interval. Tickets (adults £10, students £5, under-16s free) are available on the door or at www.altonconcertorchestra.jimdofree.com