Brighton is an important place for the orchestra - "certainly since the concert hall was refurbished which I think was 2002," says orchestra chief executive and artistic director Timothy Walker.

"It's four concerts a year, and we have had greater success by moving them from week-day nights to Saturday nights. That has helped us grow our audiences substantially. It is also recognising the fact that some at least of our potential audiences would still be on a train coming home on a week-day night."

The orchestra switched two years ago, the year of the orchestra's 75th anniversary, a year which went extremely well:" It coincided with moving into the Royal Festival Hall after it had been refurbished, and it was one of those periods where we were able to take stock a bit and reassess where we have been and where we are going to.
"It was quite useful to us. We certainly presented some more adventurous programmes and found that our audiences responded very well."

Since then, of course, the economy has slumped – which has occasioned another rethink of a kind. Box office has held up well, but as a touring orchestra, they have been able to take advantage of the low value of sterling abroad and increase their performances overseas.
"We have become less expensive to the European promoters. They are also having a difficult time, but we have become more competitively priced against other European orchestras."

Which is doubly advantageous to the orchestra: "We don't pay to go abroad. The promoters overseas pay to have us."

They have also recently enjoyed success in Timothy's home country of Australia.

"I came across here in 2003. I was headhunted for this job. The headhunter had been approaching me for a decision about various jobs in Europe for some time, and my personal circumstances changed at that time, which made this possible.

"It all happened quite quickly. I took a decision that there were only three world orchestras that I was interested in and that this was one of them and that the opportunity might not come up again for a long time."

It helped that business practices and decisions are very much the same wherever you are – though with Australia/UK being much closer than Australia/US or UK/US in terms of outlook and sense of humour.
"It meant that this was the sort of place where you could walk in the door on your first day and feel totally comfortable with what you have got in front of you."

For Brighton on Saturday December 12 at 7.30pm, the programme is Beethoven Piano Concerto 5 and Brahms Symphony 1, with Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor and Llyr Williams piano. Tickets on 01273 709709 or www.brightondome.org.