CULM
ORCHESTRA
VALLEY
CULM VALLEY ORCHESTRA - WELCOME
Did you once play an instrument well and want to get back into playing?
Does a busy working life mean you can't do weekly rehearsals but could manage fortnightly?
Are you in your school Orchestra but want something to give you more challenge?
At the Culm Valley Orchestra there is a warm welcome for instrumentalists who enjoy making
music with others, want to improve their playing, and enjoy tackling a classical repertoire.
We rehearse for two hours fortnightly on Saturday mornings, generally at Uplowman Village Hall.
We find Saturday morning rehearsals are a particular bonus because there's no getting lost on
dark winter evenings while negotiating the Devon potholes and windey roads!
Many of us are 'returnees' delighting in the chance to play again. Our playing benefits both from
the skilled guidance of our Music Director and from the support and encouragement of our fellow
players.
We play to a high standard but there are no auditions. We welcome you to join us for a couple of
rehearsals to see how you get on. To give it a go, please don't hesitate to contact us here. We
very much look forward to welcoming you to a rehearsal or two and hope that you will find
playing with the CVO really enjoyable and fulfilling.
Becky Totterdell - Chair
Want to Join Us?
We are currently on the lookout for players to join our community orchestra. A friendly and supportive environment where
you can just enjoy playing music with friends.
Check our Instruments page to see what we currently need…
Contact us here….
info@culmvalleyorchestra.co.uk
Follow us on
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CULM VALLEY ORCHESTRA is delighted to welcome
Julian Breeze as our guest conductor for our Midsummer 2026
concert.
Julian was the Head of Music at Heathfield
Community School in Taunton for 35 years,
running a busy music department with several
choirs and instrumental groups. He retired from
full-time music teaching a few years ago and now
concentrates on music projects, including
conducting, teaching, composing and arranging.
He has a long association with the Somerset
Youth Orchestra, going back over 40 years,
originally acting as manager but latterly as
woodwind tutor and assistant conductor. He also
continues to teach Musical Theatre at The SPACE
in Taunton, working with 16–18 year old students on vocal technique and
acting as Musical Director for their shows.
In 2019 he put together a series of concerts based on the journey of
Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, “The Hobbit”, involving students
from a variety of primary schools. This consisted of nineteen original
songs and instrumental pieces composed by Julian, but also involving
input from the pupils and teachers from the five participating schools.
Julian has taken five of his pieces for the concerts and combined them
into single suite, re-scoring and elaborating them for a full orchestra. The
five scenes are played without a break and share many of the themes
and leitmotifs that were employed by him to help unify the original
compositions.
CULM
ORCHESTRA
VALLEY
info@culmvalleyorchestra.co.uk
Julian was the Head of Music at Heathfield Community School in
Taunton for 35 years, running a busy music department with
several choirs and instrumental groups. He retired from full-time
music teaching a few years ago and now concentrates on music
projects, including conducting, teaching, composing and
arranging.
He has a long association with the Somerset Youth Orchestra,
going back over 40 years, originally acting as manager but
latterly as woodwind tutor and assistant conductor. He also
continues to teach Musical Theatre at The SPACE in Taunton,
working with 16–18 year old students on vocal technique and
acting as Musical Director for their shows.
In 2019 he put together a series of concerts based on the journey of Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R.
Tolkien’s book, “The Hobbit”, involving students from a variety of primary schools. This
consisted of nineteen original songs and instrumental pieces composed by Julian, but also
involving input from the pupils and teachers from the five participating schools.
Julian has taken five of his pieces for the concerts and combined them into single suite, re-
scoring and elaborating them for a full orchestra. The five scenes are played without a break
and share many of the themes and leitmotifs that were employed by him to help unify the
original compositions.
CULM VALLEY ORCHESTRA - WELCOME
Did you once play an instrument well and want to get back into playing?
Does a busy working life mean you can't do weekly rehearsals but could
manage fortnightly?
Are you in your school Orchestra but want something to give you more
challenge?
At the Culm Valley Orchestra there is a warm welcome for instrumentalists
who enjoy making music with others, want to improve their playing, and
enjoy tackling a classical repertoire.
We rehearse for two hours fortnightly on Saturday mornings, generally at Uplowman Village Hall.
We find Saturday morning rehearsals are a particular bonus because there's no getting lost on
dark winter evenings while negotiating the Devon potholes and windey roads!
Many of us are 'returnees' delighting in the chance to play again. Our playing benefits both from
the skilled guidance of our Music Director and from the support and encouragement of our fellow
players.
We play to a high standard but there are no auditions. We welcome you to join us for a couple of
rehearsals to see how you get on. To give it a go, please don't hesitate to contact us here. We
very much look forward to welcoming you to a rehearsal or two and hope that you will find playing
with the CVO really enjoyable and fulfilling.
Becky Totterdell - Chair
Want to Join Us?
We are currently on the lookout for players to join our community orchestra. A friendly and
supportive environment where you can just enjoy music with friends.
Check our Instruments page to see what we currently need…
Contact us here…
CULM VALLEY ORCHESTRA is delighted to welcome Julian Breeze as our guest
conductor for our Midsummer 2026 concert.
