SIMON COLLINGS previews a concert by the Oxford Sinfonia next week at the North Wall arts centre, where they are its newly installed orchestra-in-residence

In 2006 English Sinfonia was facing financial difficulties. It had just lost its base in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and Janice Graham, the leader, turned for help to two friends: Geoff Alexander and Sally Ann Ewins.

Alexander is an accomplished arranger of film and television music with several awards to his name. His film work includes box office hits The Remains of the Day, and Notting Hill, and his collaboration with George Fenton on Blue Planet won BAFTA, Ivor Novello and Emmy Awards. Ewins is a flautist who trained at the Royal College of Music and now runs a music business with Alexander.

One major development to come out of the collaboration was the move to the North Wall arts centre in North Oxford where the English Sinfonia is now orchestra-in-residence. Another was the decision to reach out to a broader audience through programmes which include a mix of well known and not so well known pieces. Concerts comprise a number of shorter pieces, and often feature less familiar works by well known composers.

"Classic FM has taken classical music to a much wider audience," said Graham. "We're trying to build on that, to attract people who are perhaps not used to listening to longer works, but without losing the mainstream concert-goers."

Both Graham and Alexander are keen to avoid any suggestion of dumbing down'. Works are performed in their entirety, programmes sometimes include difficult' pieces, and programming decisions are taken on artistic not commercial grounds.

"What Sal and Geoff introduced was more innovative programming," explained Graham. "We used to do very standard pieces. Geoff has a tremendous knowledge of repertoire and has introduced a lot of interesting new material."

The forthcoming concert on Thursday typifies the approach. The performance starts with an overture from Rossini's early comic opera La Scala di Seta, full of bustling rhythms and infectious good humour.

Next comes Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending, the centre-piece of the evening and the longest continuous piece of music at around 15 minutes. This work is so often performed it needs no introduction. It will be interesting to hear what Graham, a much respected soloist, brings to it. The Lark Ascending is number one in Classic FM's Hall of Fame. The third work is Britten's Simple Symphony. This is an engaging piece written when Britten was 20. It is based on material he wrote between the ages of nine and 12. The four contrasting movements include a lovely Saraband, very much in the tradition of English string writing.

The penultimate piece, Dream of Songs, is by Alexander himself and reflects a decision of the orchestra to commission and perform new works. It is a romantic and lyrical piece which the composer describes as a "homage to Bruch".

"It started as a sort of love song, but then got more complicated," he said. Alexander claims writing for commercial film and television has not overtly influenced him, though audiences will recognise the musical vocabulary of these genres in the work.

"Having worked in that environment I'm not afraid of directly appealing to people."

The work features a solo violin part written for Graham. Anyone who wants a sneak preview of Dream of Songs can listen to it on the English Sinfonia's website at www.englishsinfonia.co.uk. Alexander is planning a full-length violin concerto for Graham of which this will eventually be the slow movement.

The concert concludes with Haydn's Symphony No 53. Haydn was a brilliant symphonist and this work displays all of his characteristic inventiveness, economy of means and sheer technical brilliance. It is one of a number of lesser known Haydn symphonies the orchestra now includes in its repertoire. The symphony, in four movements, provides an enjoyable end to the evening.

The concerts at The North Wall are informal and relaxed, in keeping with the aim of broadening the appeal of classical music. The intimacy of the space helps. Most pieces are performed without a conductor, and the audience is able to experience the excitement of seeing the musicians communicating during performances. The players are all accomplished professionals and standards are high.

Further seasons of concerts are planned in Oxford and the orchestra has funding for the first of a series of performances at Cadogan Hall in London.

Other projects are under way as well. The orchestra has just recorded its first film score, for Three and Out, a British comedy directed by Jonathan Gershfield. The film goes on general release on April 25. The score is by Trevor Jones and was arranged by Alexander.

English Sinfonia has also just finished recording Duruflé's Requiem with the Choir of Magdalen College under the direction of Bill Ives. The recording is on Harmonia Mundi and will be launched later in the year.

North Wall arts centre is at St Edward's School, Summertown, Oxford. Box office: 01865 319450.