Anyone who plays an orchestral instrument, at any age and at any level. So far, the musicians have been between 14 and 84 years old.

If you're 14 or older, you can simply come and play. If you're younger, come along with a parent or another adult who is responsible for you.

No. There's no audition and no membership.

Nothing. Playing is free of charge.

Yes, gladly. Send us a request beforehand and we'll agree together which session and which seats suit you. You'll find the form under «Send an enquiry» at the end of «About us». Students under 14 come with an adult who is responsible for them.

Online with your profile or with guest access, for each session separately. You choose your seat directly on the seating plan: «first come, first served». If there are no seats left in your part, you can sign up for the waitlist.

No. Guest access is enough for a single session: you sign up, can download the parts and cancel via the link in your confirmation email. With a profile, your details are saved and signing up is quicker. Under «My Repertoire Orchestra» you see all your signups, and with «Section messages» you can reach the others in your section. You set photos, videos and news yourself in your profile.

Yes, if you've already played in a session. At login, choose «Reset password» and enter the email address you used to sign up before. You'll then also see your past sessions in «My Repertoire Orchestra». If your address has changed, write to us at info@repertoireorchestra.org.

Yes. You sign up for each session separately. If we play a programme over two or three sessions, you're welcome at all of them. There's one exception for parts in high demand, such as flute, oboe and clarinet: so that as many people as possible can play, you can't play two consecutive programmes or two dates of the same programme on these parts. You can still sign up for the waitlist; if the seat is still free two weeks before the session, it will be offered to you.

Create a profile and subscribe to our news: we'll write to you as soon as new sessions open for signup. You'll also find all dates under «Dates», and we post regularly on Instagram.

Then you can sign up for the waitlist. «First come, first served» applies there too: when a seat becomes free, we offer it by email to the person who signed up first. They have a limited time to accept; after that, the offer goes to the next person.

A confirmed seat is a firm commitment: you'll definitely come. You can cancel at any time up to one week before the session. If you have to cancel later and nobody is on the waitlist, we'll ask you to find a replacement yourself.

Tentative is currently only available to string players: for anyone who'd like to take part but can't commit yet. You can turn a tentative seat into a confirmed one at any time. If your part is full and someone signs up for a confirmed seat, that person takes over your seat and you move to the waitlist. You'll be notified by email about all of this.

In exceptional cases, yes. Whether a wind part is doubled is decided by the Artistic Director from session to session. If doubling is possible, you'll see it directly on the seating plan when you sign up. If your part is already taken, you can sign up for the waitlist.

In principle, yes. When you sign up, send a request for an alternative instrument; the conductor of the session decides and will get back to you by email. If you're accepted, you take care of suitable parts yourself, such as a transposed part.

With a profile, you cancel your signup in «My Repertoire Orchestra» or on the session page; with guest access, via the link in your confirmation email. You can also send us a short message and we'll cancel it for you. Cancelling applies to the whole session, so to all works, and you'll receive a confirmation by email.

Up to one week before the session, cancelling is easy and no questions are asked. If someone is on the waitlist, we offer your seat to the next person.

If you have to cancel later, please do so as early as possible. If someone is on the waitlist, the next person moves up. Otherwise, we'll ask you to find a replacement yourself; we'll also ask around in the section.

Major orchestral works, but also lesser-known pieces. When choosing, we look at instrumentation, length, playability and thematic links. Some programmes are played over two or three sessions. You'll find what's on the programme and when under «Dates». We're always happy to hear your suggestions, ideally by email to info@repertoireorchestra.org. In a programme vote, the community also helps choose the repertoire in advance.

After signing up, you can download the marked parts as PDFs. How much you practise is up to you: some practise for months, others come to sight-read.

Your instrument and your parts. Printed or on a tablet, it's up to you; the main thing is that you take care of it yourself. We provide music stands and everything else. If you ever need to bring something extra for a session, we'll let you know in good time.

Through «Section messages». As soon as you've signed up for a session with your profile, you'll find the link on the session page and in «My Repertoire Orchestra». Your section is everyone playing the same instrument as you in that session, for example the flutes or the horns. Everyone in your section for that session reads your message, including people with a tentative seat or on the waitlist. They receive it by email, and your addresses stay hidden. This lets you agree, for example, who plays which part in which work.

An evening session lasts three hours, including a generous break with complimentary drinks and snacks. A full-day session lasts a whole day or afternoon and ends with a public closing concert.

The hall opens an hour before the start. Please arrive at least ten minutes before the start so that we can begin on time. In a relaxed atmosphere, we then play all the works on the programme and work on individual passages along the way. The focus is on the big picture of a work, not on a perfect performance. At a full-day session, we work on the pieces for longer and in more depth, and the closing concert follows in the evening.

Yes. Please let us know briefly beforehand, ideally by email to info@repertoireorchestra.org.

Usually our Artistic Director, conductor and pianist Joseph Sieber. Occasionally we also invite guest conductors. Professional section leaders sit at the front desk of every string section, many of them from Swiss professional orchestras such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

Usually Standard German, with some English along the way. In Biel/Bienne we rehearse in both German and French, and in French-speaking Switzerland in French.

Yes, we take photos at sessions and occasionally film them. If you don't want to appear in photos or videos, you can set this in your profile.

Yes. Listeners are always welcome, free of charge.

Yes, at every full-day session: it ends with a public closing concert. Admission is free.

We choose venues that are as easy to reach and as fully accessible as possible.

Repertoire Orchestra is a format by Simple Symphony, a collective for music engagement. Joseph Sieber first put the idea into practice in 2021 while studying in Manchester (UK) and has developed it further with his team ever since. Since 2024, the sessions have been open to the public in several Swiss cities, and further offshoots, including abroad, are being planned.

In Lucerne, Zurich and Basel, and from 2027 also in Biel/Bienne.

Repertoire Orchestra is free of charge for everyone and always will be. This is made possible by contributions from foundations, public funding bodies and sponsors, as well as voluntary donations from our community. The organisation also relies on around 650 hours of volunteer work per season.

By telling people about us, bringing other musicians along or making a donation. You'll find all the ways under «Support us».