London’s LGBTQ+ orchestras mark 30 and 20 years with anniversary concerts
The London Gay Symphony Orchestra and London Gay Symphonic Winds are celebrating their anniversaries with concerts in October 2026.
Two London LGBTQ+ music ensembles are celebrating major anniversaries this month, marking decades of performances and community through a pair of concerts.
The London Gay Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a performance at Cadogan Hall on Sunday 18 October. The London Gay Symphonic Winds will mark 20 years with its anniversary concert on Saturday 24 October.
The orchestra's programme looks back to its early history while introducing new music. It includes Tchaikovsky's
Capriccio italien and Liszt's Les préludes, both featured in the orchestra's first season in 1996.
The concert will also feature the world premiere of Restless Host by composer Mark Bowden, followed by Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3. The performance marks the appointment of Sonia Ben-Santamaria as the orchestra's new musical director.
The London Gay Symphonic Winds, meanwhile, brings together more than 40 woodwind, brass and percussion players. Its anniversary concert celebrates two decades of music-making by the ensemble, which welcomes musicians with a shared enthusiasm for performing.
Together, the two organisations illustrate the range of LGBTQ+ cultural life in the capital. Their work extends beyond individual concerts, providing opportunities for musicians to rehearse, perform and build connections through a shared interest in music.
LGBTQ+ orchestras and ensembles also create visible spaces for community participation in classical and concert music, genres that are not always the first thing people associate with LGBTQ+ arts and culture.
The two anniversaries offer an opportunity to recognise the musicians, conductors and supporters who have helped sustain the groups over the years. Their October performances celebrate that history while bringing audiences together for live music.
The London Gay Symphony Orchestra performs at Cadogan Hall on 18 October, while the London Gay Symphonic Winds' 20th anniversary concert takes place on 24 October.
