COMMUTERS were given a musical treat when Reading's Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) appeared at the train station on Saturday (July 22).

The 'Schumann at the Station' concert saw two symphonies perform, conducted in part by a Great Western Railway (GWR) employee and APO musical director Andrew Taylor.

Composer Alice Knight, recent winner of the Young Talent under 25 category of the Reading Cultural Awards, also led one of two world premier performances.

Councillor Tony Page, deputy leader of Reading Borough Council, said: “I am delighted that GWR is supporting the Aldworth Philharmonic as part of this year’s Reading on Thames Festival and the Reading Fringe Festival.

“It is a first for Reading Station as well as a very original location for a concert.”

Reading Chronicle:

The event was part of Reading Business Improvement District’s (BID) ARENA 2017 programme of free town centre events and the Reading Fringe Festival.

Emily Bushby, chair of APO, added: “We were already planning to take part in the Reading Fringe Festival’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of Reading’s twinning with Düsseldorf.

“Thanks to funding from Reading BID to be part of the ARENA 2017 programme, we have been able to hire seating for the orchestra and put on a longer event, as well as commissioning two new pieces by talented young composers from the Reading area.

“By performing at the north end of the station transfer deck, we want to draw attention to how close the river is to Reading town centre ahead of the inaugural Reading on Thames Festival.”