Concerts

Our concerts are particularly pleasant occasions, whether in beautiful local churches such as Holy Innocents in Fallowfield or Christ Church in Didsbury, or in large, prestigious halls such as at the Royal Northern College of Music, The Stoller Hall or the Gorton Monastery.

Our 2026-2027 Season

Following Frank’s retirement in July, the orchestra will have a unique year undertaking recruitment for a new conductor during the 2026-2027 season. The main part of this will be in September and October when we will be conducted by a longlist of contenders after which we will select a shortlist of three to conduct concerts in January, March and June. Due to the audition process, there will not be an autumn concert this season. Programmes are summarised below and listed on our Facebook events but are subject to change once guest conductors for each concert have been arranged.

The first programme will be works from the well-established canon of classics. It begins with Beethoven’s Leonora Overture no.1 which, of the four attempts to open his single opera, is the most lyrical and most fitting for a theatre but still dramatic enough to open our concert. Second will be the warm, melodic and equally lyrical piano concerto by Robert Schumann and finally Brahms’s Second Symphony which the composer described as cheerful and delightful. What’s not to like?

The second programme opens with Smetana’s Vltava creates vistas of the composer’s homeland and invites the listeners to follow the river. Second will be the first of two violin concerti by Max Bruch which from the moment of its creation has been one of the most beloved of his works and we will finish with the First Symphony by one of the less frequently performed of Russian composers but the most influential and generous in his support of nationalistic Russian music composed by others.

Our final full orchestra concert in June will be a most attractive one including the lively Die Fledermaus overture by Johann Strauss, the tone poem Kikimora by Liadov and then the short, but surprisingly sweet, piano concerto by Shostakovitch. Following this Russian composer theme will be Borodin’s overture to his opera Prince Igor and in conclusion a shift back to home ground with Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Concert dates - 2026-2027 Season

Saturday 23rd January 2027, 7:30pm - Holy Innocents Church, Fallowfield [Guest Conductor tbc] - https://fb.me/e/4hWouWzo8

Saturday 20th March 2027, 7:30pm - Christ Church, West Didsbury [Guest Conductor tbc] - https://fb.me/e/atEyrmLot

Saturday 12th June 2027, 7:30pm - Stoller Hall, Manchester [Guest Conductor tbc} - https://fb.me/e/4deNfq9dI

Tuesday 6th July 2027, 7:30pm - Chamber Concert [Conductor: Frank Lennon] - https://fb.me/e/9s5D7wUyR