
ABOUT US
A Local Community Orchestra Based in Hadleigh, Suffolk, UK
We’re a long established orchestra with a good regular membership and we rehearse weekly in academic term times.
We are a mixed ability orchestra for learners and returners of all ages, with players ranging from students to professionals, teachers and second career musicians.
Membership details
We welcome new members in all sections of the orchestra, and to join you need to be a minimum of grade 4 level.
Membership fee is £25 per term which pays towards organising our concerts and our conductor fees.
Membership fees are waived for students.
If you have any queries regarding our membership fee do get in touch with us to discuss.
Concerts
We host two concerts a year, a Summer concert around June time and a Christmas concert in December, at St Mary’s Church in Hadleigh, Suffolk, UK.
Our concerts are free for members of the public to attend (just turn up no bookings required), and each concert we dedicate to raising donations for a local charity. For our Summer concert last June we managed to raise £420 for our chosen charity Suffolk Mind and £160 of donations for RSPCA from our recent Christmas concert. A big thank you to everyone who came along and supported us.
Hadleigh Last Night of the Proms
Every few years we take part in hosting a ‘Hadleigh Last Night of the Proms’ concert, in partnership with St Mary’s Renewal Community Project in Hadleigh, and local choirs, singers and soloists, where we bring the local community together for a joyful evening celebrating British ‘Pomp and Circumstance’.
Our last Proms concert was held back in October 2024 which was a sell out night. We are planning our next Proms for around October 2026. We will keep you posted on how you can book tickets for this event. (Please note tickets are required for this rather special night which raises funds towards the St Mary’s Renewal Community Project).
Above: From Hadleigh Proms 2024. Performing Henry Wood – British Sea Songs. And Vivaldi – Gloria accompanied by Hadleigh Community Choir and Hadleigh Choral Society.
Conductor
Our orchestra is conducted by Ian McCrae.

Ian McCrae was brought up and educated in Hadleigh and Ipswich, his varied career in music has enabled him to travel and work extensively throughout the UK and Europe. His studies adequately prepared him for various musical roles from freelance composer, orchestrator, musical director, teacher and active conductor since 1981.
He has also been the driving force behind some unusual musical collaborations involving young musicians, hip hop and rap artists and painters creating works of art during live performances under his baton.
As a composer he has written two symphonies, three operas and a variety of commissioned work for orchestral, choral, community projects, plus film scores for a number of art film and theatre productions. Ian took over as conductor for Hadleigh Orchestra in 2022.
Ute Cooper was our previous conductor, who has now retired and is now Hadleigh Orchestra’s President since December 2018.
Recent Performances
Above: From our Summer Concert, June 15th 2025, at St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh, Suffolk. Performing Haydn Trumpet Concerto Movement 3, with soloist Ian Abbott.
Above: From our Summer Concert JUNE 2025,.Performing Bizet L’Arlesienne Suite No 1, 2nd Movement and Ouverture.
Above: From our Summer Concert June 2025. Performing Dvorak Symphony No 9 (from new World) 2nd and 4th Movements.
Below: Pieces performed at our Christmas Concert December 2025 at St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh.
Above performances of Sibelius, Karelia Suite.
Above performances from Karelia Suite, end movement and Shostakovich Waltz.
To the left performance of Purcell Rondeau.
Our Next Concert
Summer Concert 2026 – Sunday 14 June at 6pm
Location: St Mary’s Church. Hadleigh IP7 5DT | View Google Map
Concert Programme:
- Rosinni – William Tell Overture
- Mozart – Exultate Jubilate, with Soprano soloist Sarah Gallop
- Shubert – Unfinished Symphony
- Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite
See our previous concerts archive page.
Hadleigh Orchestra is 40+ years old
A Reminiscence by Elaine Goh -member of Hadleigh orchestra and music teacher
In the Autumn of 1981, a new evening class was started with the idea of giving orchestral experience to adults who had learned an orchestral instrument as a child. The teacher of the course and conductor of the orchestra was Michael Colleer. A great time was had by all and many friends were made and, to mark the end of the course, a concert was arranged for May 1982 at Hadleigh High School. I was in the lower sixth at the time, working towards ‘A’ level music. I had violin lessons at school and my teacher was Amanda Brown, who was the daughter of Michael Colleer. She asked me, along with the other ‘A’ level musicians and a few other advanced students, to join the orchestra as reinforcements for the afternoon rehearsal and concert. It was great fun and the pattern of a cracking afternoon was set from the start!
I remember one piece that was played that day, a Mozart divertimento. At the end of that concert, no one wanted to stop the evening class so the decision was made to continue and the Hadleigh Orchestra was born.
One of the founding members was Michael Connellan, a retired maths teacher who made music his life in retirement. He became an extremely skilled luthier of stringed instruments and many members of the orchestra played instruments that he had made. He made skilled and necessary repairs on mine and my pupils’ instruments on several occasions and never charged enough. He was an enthusiastic viola player for many years until increasing frailty forced him to leave. He was still an enthusiastic audience member until not long before his death. Michael lived in Polstead and we had many happy summer concerts in Polstead church, a beautiful venue, until the orchestra and audience outgrew it.
Throughout the years, the orchestra has always encouraged and included people of all ages and abilities and enthusiasm has always been the watchword. In the early days, there was an elderly lady who played the double bass. She was less than five feet tall and sat on an umpire’s chair. Apparently, she always arrived late for rehearsals and caused chaos as her double bass crashed into everyone’s stand, knocking off their music as she, so very politely, said “oh, do excuse me,” “so, so sorry, dear” etc.
Michael Colleer was the conductor for a few years and the concert remained an annual event in Hadleigh High School. The next conductor was the legendary Ute Cooper, who, with husband John (one of our top cellists, took the orchestra to new heights. A Christmas concert was introduced and became a fixture on the calendar for many local people. In addition to the repertoire of orchestral pieces, there are always four carols for the audience to sing accompanied by the orchestra. After a variety of venues, the orchestra has happily made its home at St. Mary’s church for the concerts.
The summer concert has also gone from strength to strength and more ambitious music is often chosen for this. We have played several concertos and symphonies and in 2012, the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, were asked to make an encore of Land of Hope and Glory. At both summer and Christmas concerts, there are always donation collections taken at the concerts, which must have raised thousands of pounds for local charities over the past forty years.
As time has moved on, there have been several changes among the players and, of course, the occasional sad event. The orchestra’s banner was bought after a flautist, Tony, died in tragic circumstances as a memorial. After many years’ service and leaving very large shoes to fill, Ute Cooper stood down as conductor of the Hadleigh Orchestra in 2018. Kay Bartlett ably took over the baton and has guided the orchestra through some of the most turbulent times with Covid-19 putting a stop to music making for two years. Kay passed on the baton to Ian McCrae in September of 2022, and now leads in the percussion section.
Hadleigh is a small town in Suffolk and very few comparably sized towns have an orchestra of their own, let alone one as successful and held in such affection as Hadleigh Orchestra. I feel very privileged to have played in around thirty years worth of concerts as an extra second violin or viola player – even more so to have been doing it since the very first concert. Here’s to many more happy years for Hadleigh Orchestra.
We’re looking for 1st and 2nd violin, viola, cello and double bass players
VACANCies in
Strings
We have vacancies for any violinists who would like to join our 1st or 2nd violins, also spaces for viola, cello and double bass players.
If you are interested in joining our strings section and would like to come along to one of our rehearsals, please do get in touch and make an Enquiry.
We’re looking for Trombone and Trumpet players
VACANCies in
Brass
We currently have vacancies for Trombones and Trumpets.
If you are interested in any of these vacancies, please make an Enquiry.
We’re looking for Bassoon, Clarinet, Oboe and Saxophone players
VACANCIES IN
We our looking for a Conductor
We are on the hunt for a new Conductor as sadly, we will be saying farewell to our current Conductor Ian from November 2026.
Please get in touch if you have or know someone who has excellent experience of conducting orchestras, has good showmanship to engage audiences and the ability to work with all levels of musicians, both young and old.

If you are interested, please make an Enquiry
NOTICES
For Orchestra Members Only
WhatsApp Group
We now have a WhatsApp group for members to join to stay updated with rehearsals. If you wish to join, please speak to Rachel or Fran (Second violins) to find out more.

