Stephen Shelley

Violin

For the past 40 years I’ve worked in a food testing laboratory carrying out different techniques of chemical analysis at first and then later moving up to a role within the quality department coordinating the laboratory’s compliance to the ISO 17025 quality standard.

I joined in 1987

At secondary school I enjoyed taking part in activities outside of normal lesson time; getting involved in the school choir and then in the orchestra percussion section was the start of my musical journey. I was encouraged by the music teacher to learn an instrument and decided upon a string instrument. The violin seemed the most portable choice and was what most other students around me took up. I spent my Saturday mornings working my way up through the orchestras of the Wolverhampton music school. It was a great loss when I had to stop when I left school.

I met Cyril Perfect, who led the BPO for a while in the early 1960s, at a friend’s wedding reception and after a long conversation he became my next violin teacher. He recommended that I get involved with orchestral playing again and called one of the BPO viola players he had kept contact with. She introduced me to Tony Smith, principal of the BPO 2nd violins.

That would have to be the big choral symphonies we have done especially Mahler’s second and eighth, ‘The symphony of a Thousand’.

Only one and that was from a concert in 1988. The venue had hired a soloist to perform Brahms’ 2nd piano concerto with us. All I will say is that the soloist wasn’t having a very good day.

I like most pieces I get the opportunity to play but if I had to choose I would say Elgar, whose first symphony was the first piece I played with the BPO back in 1987. During my time with BPO I’ve developed a liking for Mahler and Shostakovich. If I had choose a least favourite it would be any composer of Viennese waltzes, for me, its not very interesting if its your turn to play the second violin part! 

I would like to do Handel’s Messiah at some point before I hang up my bow for good.