Brief Introduction

The administrative and technical management of the erstwhile Calcutta Foundation Orchestra was taken over by the Calcutta School of Music. The orchestra was thereafter renamed The Calcutta Chamber Orchestra. This Orchestra is continued to be supported by the "Calcutta Foundation Washington D.C.".

The Calcutta Foundation Orchestra was formed with the purpose of providing a sense of direction, belonging, employment and achievement to a group of boys who were brought up at the Oxford Mission. Over the years, other musicians have joined and they have been given constant training and exposure to conductors from all over the world. This has helped the musicians gain confidence and has enabled a great number of them to secure regular contracts with the recording studios, schools and at social events. These musicians provide the musical backdrop at some of the most prestigious social events in the city.

The varied repertoire of the Orchestra comprises of Western Classical music, Broadway melodies, Tagore songs and popular music, both Western and Indian. The Orchestra has performed with other music groups, experimenting in different genre of music.

The Orchestra has performed at prestigious venues such as Town Hall, Raj Bhavan and The Victoria Memorial, for VIPs and august audiences such as, Dr. A. P. J. Kalam, President of India, Rt. Hon. John Major, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom nd Mrs. Major, H.E. Sir Viren J. Shah, Governor of West Bengal and Mrs. Anjana V. Shah, and Mr. Rastropovich, the world famous cellist. It joined hands with the Delhi Symphony Orchestra and others, in various cities to perform a wide range of music, including The Fakeer of Benaras.

The musicians have performed in India and abroad, and were the first ones to be associated with Pan Asian Philharmonic Orchestra. Although most of them did not have any formal musical training, their repertoire is very laudable and has received wide acclaim. Quartets from this ensemble have been invited to play with the Asian Youth Orchestra, Hongkong and a quartet from the Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo. A quartet was also invited by the Sydney Symphony to participate in a workshop in Sydney. Another quartet was also invited by the International Women's Club, Dhaka, to give several performances of Western classical and Tagore music.