Hearing individual notes combine with other instruments to create a big sound is why members of The Thames Philharmonia orchestra love to practice and play together.

It is this passion for music which has brought together the orchestra members, who performed three favourite classical pieces at Teddington's Landmark Arts Centre on Saturday, 1 March, from all different walks of life.

The Landmark Arts Centre is located on Ferry Road, Teddington TW11 9NN (Credit: Kitt Garrett)

Among them is professional timpanist David Lambert, who began playing the drums aged 13 and spent over eight years in the army as a musician.

Today, he plays in big bands and gigs across the UK after 23 years serving in the police force in Surrey as a firearms specialist.

When asked what he enjoyed most about playing, Lambert said: "It's hearing the big sound."

After years of practising their instruments solo, the musicians enjoy being together for six consecutive Sunday rehearsals from 6pm – 9pm.

A typical day for The Thames Philharmonia when preparing for its three concerts a year, all held in different locations, begins with a dress rehearsal from 3pm – 5pm, followed by a short break before beginning the public performance at 7pm.

The first half of last Saturday's programme included two unfinished symphonies: Borodin's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor and Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B Minor.

French pianist Adrien Grand played Beethoven's 'Piano Concerto No. 5' in B-flat Major at Saturday's performance (Credit: Kitt Garrett)

The second half featured French pianist, Adrien Grand playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in B-flat Major. Grand also played a gorgeous encore piece improvised just for this audience.

Grand lives in Nantes, France with his wife Sun Hyung Kim and their five-year-old son, Louis, and earned his Masters' degree at the Royal College of Music in London, specialising in improvisation.

He said: "I started playing the piano at age five and gave it up. At 15, I decided to start again and really love it."

Pianist Adrien Grand with his wife Sun Hyung Kim and their five-year-old son Louis (Credit: Kitt Garrett)

Ian Hwang, who plays second violin, started playing at the age of four in Korea and played professionally until he was twenty-four.

He has been a member of the orchestra now for six years as an avocation since his full-time job is now in selling event space for the fashion industry.

He said: "Now that I am in sales, the orchestra allows me to continue to enjoy playing."

Peter Kaldor plays the horn, and at 85, is the oldest member of the orchestra and one of the original members, having been a member since 2000.

He learned to play the horn in his native Hungary and left there at the age of 16 when the revolution started in 1956.

He attended the Royal College of Music in London before joining an opera company where he met his wife Caroline who was working at the opera in the office and now plays first violin with the orchestra.

Kaldor said: "We have been married for over 60 years, and it is a wonderful way to enjoy being together."

Alexander Borodin's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor was written between 1886 and 1887 at the height of the romantic Russian age of music.

Borodin was a chemistry professor at the Medico-Surgical Academy, and he wrote music as a way to relax. He died before he could finish composing the piece, and Alexander Glazunov completed it posthumously.

Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B Minor was written in 1822 and never finished. No one is sure why he left the 8^th unfinished although a lot of speculation has been written about it.

Having completed two movements instead of the traditional four movements at the time, it's possible he was satisfied with the piece.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in B-flat Major (The Emperor) was written in 1808 in Vienna. Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he finished it. By the time the piece was performed in 1809, he was too deaf to perform the solo part. He dedicated the piece to Archduke Rudolf, his patron and friend.