The orchestra is currently working with guest conductor Ben Crick > Ben is Yorkshire born and bred, an orchestral conductor with 20+ years experience. He has held a BBC Music Fellowship and worked with orchestras throughout the UK and Europe. He wants as many people as possible to engage with music so he has performed in pubs, shopping centres and stations as well as traditional venues.
Ben is delighted to be working with ASO – ‘music should be fun’. We think so too!
Ian Banks took up violin late, aged 11 years. He made great progress becoming leader of his county youth orchestra, appearing with them at the School’s Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ian eventually chose the safer option of a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, followed by a career as an actuary, which has allowed him to pursue his musical interests on an amateur basis. In 1987, he moved to Yorkshire and became leader of the Airedale Symphony Orchestra, moving away in 2002, but keeping in touch. Ian has led the orchestra again since 2019.
The Airedale Symphony Orchestra has a team of trustees who support the governance and running of the orchestra. Elizabeth, Teresa, Rachel and Janet love playing in the orchestra and bringing our music to a wide range of audiences.
Elizabeth Edgington loves playing the violin in orchestras and is proud to be chair of the Airedale Symphony Orchestra. When not making music or dealing with orchestra business, Elizabeth’s at work, which is in sustainability, or somewhere out in nature – the woods, the beach, the hills.
Teresa Jones’s double bass is almost as large as she is! She learned piano and cello as a youngster but then decided to have a go at the double bass when playing with her daughter’s school orchestra. Having played with a Leeds-based ‘summer’ orchestra for a couple of years, she then joined the ASO, working her way up to leading the bass section.
Outside of orchestra she runs her own business Scandinavian Homes, and finds that playing music on a regular basis with the orchestra really helps her manage her stress levels.
Rachel Holt plays in our second violin section. She has played violin in many orchestras since the age of 7, and enjoys welcoming new members to the orchestra. Rachel also has a busy life as a mum, consultant geriatrician and lay chaplain to the older people of Pudsey.
Janet Cade used to play in the seconds but fell in love with the viola. She had a viola for a ‘significant’ birthday. During the day she works as a Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology at the University of Leeds. Helping us to understand more about how what we eat affects our health.
In her spare time she loves playing chamber music with friends. She has two grown up children and two bouncy dogs.
Rachel started playing with ASO as a second violinist, and like Janet has now moved to join the viola section. She got into the viola again in lockdown having dabbled briefly in her teens, and has now concluded that the alto clef is not so scary as all that, and enjoys playing in the viola’s lower register.
When not playing with ASO, Rachel also sings with Bradford Festival Choral Society as an alto, and accedes to the demands of her 11 year old rescue cat, Duke.
She works in admissions at Leeds University, covering Music and three other Schools within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.
Charlotte plays in our first violins. She is always happy to hear from anyone who might like to support the orchestra.
Philippa plays in the cello section and is a composer, conductor and music teacher based in Silsden. Philippa studied Music Performance at York St John University before going on to earn BA (hons) in Classical Music and a Master’s Degree in Composition from Leeds College of Music.
Philippa teaches instrumental, theory and composition lessons privately as well as in schools bringing musical education and experience to people of all ages. She believes passionately in making classical music relevant and accessible to all through genre-defying performances and compositions aimed at bridging the gap between Classical music and the wider, diverse musical community of the Aire Valley and Bradford.
Oliver makes sure the ASO is not left behind. We are in the age of social media so it is important to communicate with our audiences. Oliver plays in the second violins for the ASO. He studied piano, violin and viola at the RAM’s junior programme but stopped playing strings for many years, only returning to chamber and orchestral playing in 2016 when a friend told him how much fun it was. He is also an occasional organist and one-time harpsichord builder. He works in the construction industry.
Paul is our treasurer - we are very grateful to him for his hard work. His wife plays in our violin section.
Helen is our librarian, a complex role for an orchestra of over 60 people! She always helps us with a smile PLUS she leads the second violins. What a woman!
Heather leads our marketing activity. She also plays first violin. Her day job brings out her digital talents working as a Business Analyst Manager for Yorkshire Building Society.
Karen is our website manager, and plays in the first violins. In her spare time she loves to play chamber music and plays the violin in a social enterprise called Bring Me Sunshine Trio, which uses strings and song for health and wellbeing. She is also doing a PhD and learning Spanish.
