PJA and the Soho Orchestra
The PJA Soho Orchestra was founded in 2024 as a composition collaboration between Arthur Elletson and Phil Lee. In January 2024, Phil Lee, a retired musician, unearthed an old composition he had created over half a century ago and approached London conservatoires to seek support to realise a first public performance. Arthur Elletson, a KCL graduate, took up the challenge and so began a unique collaboration between two musicians/composers a generation apart.
London: Past and Present, 6 June 2025
My collaborator and friend, Arthur Elletson, composed his first a symphony, inspired by his experiences of London. The music was cinematic, reflecting his love of movies and providing a musical narrative to his life in London.
Arthur teamed up with Phil Lee to write four other works inspired by the history of London and Phil’s experiences growing up in the capital city. I performed principal trumpet and I brought together some of London’s best upcoming instrumentalists to form a fifty-five piece orchestra. We performed the works in the heart of central London, in King’s College London’s Chapel.
It was my pleasure to invite Sofia Grigoriadou to conduct Arthur Elletson’s first symphony. Sofia has a range of experience including studying at the Royal Academy of Music’s Sian Edwards, and has conducted as part of Trinity Laban’s internationally renowned CoLab festival.
We’re excited to be working with Phil and Arthur for another project in November 2025. More information coming soon.
Photograph credits: Harry Elletson Photography
The Rest Between The Notes, 8 November 2025
In November 2025, we organised a third concert for the PJA and the Soho Orchestra. We returned to the Club for Acts and Actors in Covent Garden to perform a concert in tribute to former committee member, Dave Power.
The concert featured a smaller ensemble, including strings, oboe, bassoon, clarinet and piano. The music was inspired by filmic music, with all the compositions written by Arthur Elletson and Phil Lee. It was exciting to see the concert sold-out, with a full audience in attendance.
The concert was conducted by again Sofia Grigoriadou, who previously conducted the premiere of Arthur’s symphony in June 2025. It is always a great opportunity to work with Sofia.
Photograph credits: Harry Elletson Photography
Soho Sunsets, 03rd August 2024
In 2024, I worked with Arthur Elletson and Phil Lee on a brand new composition project. Phil is a professional musician who has worked in the industry over the last 40 years. Back in his 20s, he composed a piece of music that he since lost. Recently, he rediscovered his notes and reached out to Arthur and myself to re-orchestrate the music for chamber orchestra.
Since then, we have collaborated on eight compositions. We premiered six of these compositions at the Club for Acts and Actors (CAA) based in the heart of Covent Garden. We brought together a chamber orchestra of 18 musicians, featuring musicians from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, King’s College London, London School of Economics and early career musicians. The evening was a great success.
Photo Credits: James Klug
