In its 14 years of performing orchestral concerts, largely under the baton of the late Derek Kitt, the South West Sinfonietta has developed a distinctive style of music making, communicating a freshness and vigour that delights audiences. The Orchestra is now a major player in the lively cultural life of Plymouth and the surrounding regions. In 2005 the South West Snfonietta entered a new phase of its life with the appointment of a new Artistic Director, conductor Tim Boulton, who brings with him an infectious enthusiasm for music and the experience of over 20 years touring, performing and broadcasting in chamber groups and chamber orchestras across the globe.

The South West Sinfonietta will next perform on Saturday 31st January 2009 at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth in a concert which celebrates cultural enrichment across time and place between peoples. The programme includes European music inspired by dances from Rumania and Hungary, songs of African Americans and Italian opera and a new work from Cornwall and is presented in association with Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support Council.

Soloists during recent years have included such illustrious names as Stephen Hough, Julian Lloyd Webber (the orchestra’s President) Sulki Yu, Peter Fisher, and Peter Cigleris. Two new commissions from composer Jim Aitchison have recently received their first performances by the South West Sinfonietta, part of the orchestra’s ongoing promotion of composers in the South West. See Jim Aitchison's website to view an excerpt from the South West Sinfonietta's performance of Conversation with Magic Stones.