Play Day: a Full-Day Dive into Bruckner's Symphony No. 4
Hounslow Symphony Orchestra invites string players to take part
Juan Gonzalez
January 21, 2026
String players across west London are being invited to dust off their instruments and immerse themselves in one of the great Romantic symphonies as Hounslow Symphony Orchestra (HSO) hosts its upcoming Play Day.
It is taking place on Saturday 31 January, from 10am to 5pm at Isleworth & Syon Boys School (TW7 5LJ).
Open to violinists, violists and double bass players of all experience levels, the day offers a rare chance to sit inside the sweeping sound world of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, the “Romantic”, in a relaxed, supportive setting. There are no auditions and no pressure — just a full day of music-making, exploration and enjoyment, culminating in a complete run-through of the symphony.
Participants will receive coaching from Juan Gonzalez, the Venezuelan-German violinist currently with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Gonzalez brings a wealth of international experience to the day:
He is a former member of the BBC Concert Orchestra and former Leader of the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra in Mexico who trained through Venezuela’s renowned El Sistema programme having graduated from the Simón Bolívar Conservatoire.
He has been a regular guest with major orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Britten Sinfonia, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and guest Leader for ensembles such as Chineke! Orchestra, London Choral Sinfonia, and the London Contemporary Orchestra.
His presence is intended to make this Play Day not just a community event, but a genuine masterclass experience.
There is a participation fee of £20 (or £10 for students) and online booking is required.
HSO says it aims to be the friendliest orchestra in London. It is an amateur orchestra of around 55 players which plays three concerts each season, usually at St Mary’s Church and St Paul’s Church, 56 Grove Park Road, Chiswick, W4 3SB.
It concentrates on the standard classical and romantic repertoire and from time to time perform contemporary works.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |