In late 2003 / early 2004 it was becoming increasingly obvious that the orchestra was stalling - both in terms of its aspirations and in its membership, which had dwindled to an almost unviable level. Furthermore, the Westinghouse company was finalising its plans to move away from Chippenham, making the overt link between our orchestra and the firm even less tenable. In its slow decline the orchestra had lost much of its good reputation within the local community, and people new to the area either had no idea that we even existed, or assumed that the orchestra was only open to Westinghouse employees.
By the spring of 2004 it was clear that something had to be done if the orchestra was to be saved, and it was decided that a date should be set, for later that year, when the orchestra could essentially reform. Certain obligations had still to be met, and it seemed sensible to wait until the summer recess when a concerted media campaign and recruitment initative could be launched to put the orchestra 'back on the map'. Newspaper articles appeared all across Wiltshire and into Bath and Bristol, and the orchestra was able to capitalise on the (comparatively) recent appointment of a new Musical Director, and our decision to style ourselves 'WCO' rather than the full 'Westinghouse Concert Orchestra', to generate further media attention.
The recruitment initiative went extremely well, practically doubling the size of the orchestra at the first rehearsal after the re-launch date (6th September 2004). It has continued to grow ever since although we do still have scope to engage more musicians, particularly string players. (For vacancies, see join us.)
The success of the recruitment drive, and the newly regained sense of purpose this has fostered, has allowed the orchestra to make some bold plans for the future, and set us firmly on the path to regain the position of best orchestra of its type in the region.