A Brief History of the Orchestra

The original TLO was founded over 65 years ago in 1955 by Dr. Roman Marek (Mus., Doc.) as a pastime for the staff of Trafford Warehouses, where he himself was an accounts department supervisor. In the early days of TLO, Dr. Marek conducted concerts, led rehearsals and arranged large amounts of repertoire for the Orchestra. Following the death of Dr. Marek in October 1971, the association with the Trafford Warehouses Ltd (who had given much help and generosity over the years) came to an end and the Orchestra became totally self supporting. Musical Directors have always shaped the development of TLO; the baton has been passed, over the past 34 years, between Mr. Richard Fairbanks, Mr. Harry Heys, Mr. David Last, Mr. Timothy Ashcroft, Mr. Albert Oldfield to the Orchestra's present Musical Director and Principal Conductor Mr. Darren C. Wood, who has directed the Orchestra since February 2003.