Symphony Orchestra
SUSO is widely recognised as one of the leading student orchestras in the UK. We take on some of the most famous pieces in the professional repertoire, while also being one of the most fun and sociable societies on campus! Look out for pre-term and audition sign up information on our socials!
The Southampton University Symphony Orchestra is widely recognised as one of the leading student orchestras in the UK. The orchestra seeks to provide students with the opportunity to study and perform some of the most challenging symphonic repertoire. We cater both for members seeking to pursue careers in the music profession, as well as those wishing to continue and develop their performance skills whilst completing degrees in non-musical subjects. Many of our members go on to conservatoires after their time at Southampton, while others become doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and more! We take on a full professional programme each term, and perform around 4 concerts each year including a pre-term orchestral course (see our social medias for more information coming soon). Recent repertoire highlights include Bernstein's On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, and Dvořák's Symphony No.8.
In addition to the four concerts a year, our members enjoy a variety of socials and events throughout the year, ensuring there is a great social side to all of our rehearsals and performances. At the end of each academic year we also aim to go on a European tour. Recent destinations have included, Lille and Aachen.
We rehearse every Wednesday during term time from 7:00pm - 10:00pm (this may change to 6:30pm - 9:30pm for 2026-27) in Turner Sims Concert Hall on campus, and often perform here as well as other local professional venues.
Auditions are held at the start of each academic year with our auditions for 2026-27 being on 19-20 September (look out for an announcement on our social media pages). If you are a non-Southampton University student but would also like to audition, please get in touch and we will hopefully be able to work something out with you. We additionally offer a concerto competition and a composition competition (more info about these will be released throughout the year).
For more information on what we do, or how to join us, contact our President Finlay Caldow at suso@soton.ac.uk, check out our socials @susorchestra, or visit our website suso.susu.org.
Photo Gallery
The Committee
All clubs and societies within the Students' Union are run entirely by students. The student committee for Symphony Orchestra this year are:
President
- Oversees the committee and ensures the smooth running of the orchestra for the year.
Treasurer
- Responsible for the groups finances.
Welfare Officer
- Responsible for being an approachable member of the orchestra that can bring general issues to committee.
Librarian
- Sources the hiring, buying, and organising of music each term.
Orchestral Manager
- In charge of maintaining orchestral equipment and booking venues for rehearsals and concerts.
Orchestral Manager
- In charge of maintaining orchestral equipment and booking venues for rehearsals and concerts.
Outreach Project Manager
- Responsible of overseeing and organising baby SUSO, the project we have bringing music into primary schools.
Publicity Officer
- Responsible for advertising events and concerts, and managing social medias and the website.
Publicity Officer
- Responsible for advertising events and concerts, and managing social medias and the website.
Social Secretary
- Responsible for all social aspects of the group.
Social Secretary
- Responsible for all social aspects of the group.
Vice President
- Responsible for the administration of the group.
Membership Information
These are the current membership fees offered by Symphony Orchestra, although many clubs and societies offer a free period for new members to try out their activities.
| Name | Cost | Valid Period | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 2 Percussion Membership 25/26 | £20.00 | 01/10/2025 - 22/07/2026 | This membership is suitable for anyone who is not a principal percussion player within the orchestra due to the nature of parts! Please only purchase if you have spoken to Suzie. Membership just for one semester. |
Products
Available products to purchase for Symphony Orchestra
Constitution
All SUSU clubs & societies must have a Constitution which governs how they run
Download ConstitutionPrivacy Notice
All SUSU clubs & societies must have a Privacy Notice which describes how they use personal data collected
Download Privacy NoticeHealth & Safety
All clubs & societies are required to risk assess their activity to ensure it is carried out in a safe manner for members. Current risk assessments for Symphony Orchestra are available to view below
- Preterm 2025 RA: 15th September - 20th September 2025, Plant Pot (2025 version) (03/09/2025)
- General Risk Assessment - 10/09/25 (10/09/2025)
- Rehearsal Risk assessment (14/10/2025)
- Winter Ball risk assessment (03/12/2025)
- SUSO Tour Fundraiser Bingo (12/01/2026)
- SUSO Lille Tour 2025/26 Casino Night Fundraiser Risk Assessment (18/02/2026)
- Tour to Lille 2026 (21/04/2026)
- Pre-term 2026 RA - 6 September - 12 September (13/07/2026)
Upcoming Events
Check out our upcoming events below: