Island String Players Society

The purpose of our Society is promotion and advancement of music for string instruments by giving public performances and supporting the interest and development of student string instrumentalists in the community. Part of our work provides a Scholarship Fund to the University of Victoria School of Music and prize money to the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival. Student string instrumentalists are admitted free to all our performances when accompanied by adults. Our annual cycle includes a minimum of four concerts. Typically the first and third concerts are devoted entirely to the work of the members of the Society as the Victoria Chamber Orchestra. In years where we are working with a local choir our second concert is typically a joint performance including a variety of choral works with student soloists. The main focus of our fourth concert is the Louis Sherman Concerto Competition where school age string players compete for the opportunity to play a major classical concerto with the orchestra. Victoria concerts take place at the First Metropolitan United Church and in other parts of Victoria. Repeat performances and/or performances of other material are provided in south Vancouver Island communities and/or the Gulf/San Juan Islands. Honoraria are given to the Music Director professional soloists and from time to time to extra musicians. Music students who train and perform with the Orchestra may also receive bursaries. All other services are on a voluntary basis.