The Whitehorse Orchestra is a community orchestra, centred in the Box Hill area in Victoria, Australia, which rehearses on Saturday mornings throughout the year. It has over 80 playing members. The orchestra provides an excellent and enjoyable musical experience for musicians of all ages, and performs regularly in public.
There is a waiting list for all instruments due to the current size of the orchestra. There are no age limits and we do not audition. Due to the choice of music for our performances, it would be necessary to be of at least 5th grade (AMEB) standard to be able to manage the repertoire, and a higher level in sections with solo players. Potential members who are of this standard should contact us to enquire about joining. Generally, potential members if accepted by us would join us for a few rehearsals and then the decision would be made whether to apply for membership. The orchestra compensates for its non-audition policy by an atmosphere of mutual support amongst the members,
The orchestra is administered by an elected committee, which in turn appoints the Musical Director. We attribute our continuously improving performance standard to our present conductor / Musical Director, Gerald Keuneman OAM who has filled the role for over 30 years.
We rehearse on Saturday mornings from 09:00am until 12:00 midday at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre. Most performances are at the James Tatoulis Auditorium, MLC, Kew or at Kingswood College, Box Hill South.
The orchestra is funded by concert receipts, members' subscriptions, fundraising, sponsorships and grants. Sponsorships are available and are warmly welcomed.
