scores played as they were originally intended to be.

Our Orchestra

In the wake of 2020, Sam Pope and Gregor Reid set out to set up a new orchestra, specialising solely in music written for the theatre.

Whilst on tour, the duo planned to form a group of musicians, from the northwest of England who would embrace their shared passion for musicals. The idea germinated from the plan to enjoy the scores of yesteryear with their friends, as a post-COVID concert. But before long, plans for the EMTO were drawn up.

Since then, the EMTO has been proud of its roots in the north of England, the incredible scores it performs, and the virtuosic abilities of each of its musicians.

Meet The Team.

  • Producer - Sam Pope

    Sam Pope has worked as a freelance percussionist and Percussion tutor for over 15 years. He has played for many Musical Theatre productions, Orchestras and other ensembles across the UK and formed the EMTO with Greg in 2023. He has an incredible passion for Musical Theatre and is frequently found in the orchestra pit, when he’s not inspiring the next generation of musicians!

  • Conductor - Gregor Reid

    Our Principal Conductor, Gregor Reid is an arranger, orchestrator and historian of Musical Theatre, graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and studying Music Director at Mountview. He has been a touring theatre MD for over ten years. Along with Sam, Gregor formed the orchestra in 2023 and has conducted each performance since.

  • Orchestral Librarian - Emily Doan

    An incredible flautist, soloist and teacher who has been working professionally on the British orchestral circuit for over fifteen years. Emily is the principal flautist for the EMTo, and our orchestral librarian, co-ordinating all the arrangements for our musicians.

  • Technical stage Manager - Will Pitchfork

    Will heads up the technical team at the EMTO. He’s an accomplished sound and lighting designer, and excellent freelance musician. Will first started playing piano at the age of 6 and soon progressed to playing acoustic guitar and violin at primary school. As different opportunities presented themselves, Will then went on to teach himself electric guitar, bass guitar and drums.

  • Company Stage Manager - Max Hudd

    Max has over forty years experience in the theatre industry, originating the in the original London production of Blood Brothers. He has toured across the UK and Europe as a stage manager, technician, performer and musician. His recent career includes almost a decade overseeing the Pantomime season in Leeds, where he met conductor Greg and TSM, Will.

In Coversation

Sam & Greg joined soloist Lisa Jane Kelsey ahead of the EMTO’s inaugural performance in May 2024. The event was covered by Manchester Theatres, and they created this video to promote the first performance of “Some Enchanted Evening”.

Lisa and Sam comment on how it feels to perform the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, while Greg discusses the lineup of the orchestra, and what he’s excited about ahead of the concert.