The Helios Chamber Orchestra is proud to declare its first concert a great success!

The concert took place on Saturday July 21st 2007 in the fine Edwin Lutyens church of St. Jude-on-the-Hill in Hampstead Garden Suburb. In a colourful and summery line-up of familiar and less well-known music from Central and Eastern Europe, the orchestra was joined by the young Polish pianist, Bartosz Barasiński (below), for a scintillating performance of Chopin’s E minor concerto. The programme also included Glinka’s Kamarinskaya, Kodály’s Summer Evening and Martinů’s Sinfonietta ‘La Jolla’.

Barasiński’s participation was enhanced by a generous grant from the Polish Consulate General, enabling him to perform on a superb Steinway. We were also extremely fortunate to have an outstanding young Polish leader in Alicja Śmietana - both an experienced soloist and a regular guest player with Gidon Kremer’s Kremerata Baltica ensemble. She also performed Barber's Violin Concerto with the orchestra in our second concert, in January 2008.