13/10/2025
Press release:
“KIRKCALDY ORCHESTRAL SOCIETY (Fife's Community Orchestra) with members from across Fife, Perthshire and Glasgow opened its 2025/2026 concert season on 7th October in the Old Kirk, Kirkcaldy – On the Lighter Side…with KOS - Autumn.
The Orchestra Leader is Vince Gray, and Musical Director and Conductor, Graeme Wilson.
🍂 Since its opening night in the middle of August, the Orchestra members have worked very hard to produce their first programme of music and the capacity enthusiastic audience showed its great appreciation of their efforts. The Old Kirk was full to overflowing with all seats sold and taken. How good it is to perform to such a supportive audience. Many warm
and encouraging comments were made at the end of the concert and have been, since, by those attending.
With a season of music based ‘On the lighter side…with KOS – Telling stories through music, words and pictures’, designer Brian Cameron’s advertising and programme images used on all KOS print and digital material add great visual excitement to the music. The season's theme music is a combination of the cinematic 20th Century Fox Fanfare and the theme music for radio’s Dick Barton, Special Agent.
🎶 The programme consisted mainly, but not entirely, of light music, with two pieces by Philip Lane – Celebration Overture (a nod to the continuing 150th anniversary in 2025 of KOS) and Suite of Cotswold Folkdances, four film-based offerings – the Prelude to the 49th Parallel, When she loved me from Toy Story, Gabriels’ Oboe from The Mission and High Flight, a march by Eric Coates.
🎶 Cello soloist Chloe Randall performed the beautiful and hauntingly melodic Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch, her warm tone reaching all corners of the Old Kirk, at times full and rich, at others, whispering yet crystal clear.
🎶 The evening was rounded off with ‘A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein’ featuring several well-known melodies, the final of which ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ summed up the co-operation on display from the orchestra and its strong links with the audience.
The whole programme presented KOS members with great challenge not the least of which was the constant playing required. The players gave a resounding assurance of their skills and power with piece after piece building on success.
Especially notable was the sensitive and successful accompanying of the cello soloist in Kol Nidrei.
🎄 KOS returns to the platform on Sunday 14th December when it joins with the Langtoun Singers for On the Lighter Side…with KOS – Winter, a programme of seasonal music, including Paddington Bear’s First Concert with narration, in the Old Kirk, Kirkcaldy, performances.”
Graeme Wilson
Conductor and Musical Director
