This Christmas, start the festive celebrations in time-honoured tradition with classic carols at the oldest church in Leeds city centre.
St John’s Church on New Briggate will open its doors to all for its annual carol service at 5.30pm on Sunday 22nd December.
This traditional service led by the clergy and choir of Leeds Minster will transport you back in time with much-loved Christmas carols and readings.
Making her welcome return to the Leeds Lieder concert platform, Dame Sarah Connolly is joined by pianist Joseph Middleton to perform an eclectic mix of songs by Britten, Barber, Debussy, Wolf, Duparc and Schumann.
Leeds Baroque Orchestra, directed by Peter Holman return to the relaxed surroundings of The Old Woollen at Sunny Bank Mills for another exploration of the Italian Concerto. They are joined by two notable soloists: Gail Hennessy (Baroque oboe) and leader of the orchestra Asuka Sumi (Baroque violin) to perform a wide-ranging programme of music representative of Venetian taste in the late 17th - early 18th Century. Works by Vivaldi predominate but the programme includes Marcello’s popular Concerto in D minor and Albinoni’s Sonata a cinque in G minor, op.
The Opera North Youth Orchestra (https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/opera-north-youth-orchestra/) is joined by the winner of the 2022 BBC Young Strings Final, Jaren Ziegler, to perform William Walton’s Viola Concerto. Shostakovich’s First Symphony and Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 1 complete the programme.
Step into a world where the strings tell stories of love, heritage, and renewal as the renowned multi-instrumentalist Kirpal Singh Panesar graces the stage with his latest creation, Melodies of Love. Through a mesmerising interplay of classical rhythms and soul-stirring melodies, Panesar transports listeners to a place where music transcends time, weaving together the emotions of the past with the hopes of the present.
Leeds Baroque open their 25th Anniversary season with two contrasting Mass settings: Joseph Haydn’s well-known 'Nelson' Mass - the Missa in angustiis (Mass for troubled times) scored for Soprano Solo, Chorus, strings, three trumpets, and organ and, thanks to support from the Instituto Cervantes and the Consulate General of Spain, Valls’s Missa Scarla Aretina. This is scored for three- part choir, single strings, two trumpets and harp.
Hailing from Bangalore and now based in London, Jyotsna is Europe’s foremost Indian violinist.
Her music illuminates Carnatic musical tradition in kaleidoscope colour. Approaching every musical interaction with a forward-thinking outlook and elastic expressivity, Jyotsna is just as likely to be found revelling in raga rotations or jamming in free jazz, often marrying the two.
Explore a gamut of human emotions from the giddiness of falling in love through the pain of loss and regret to the joy of reconciliation in the company of composers from across the globe.
This programme, performed by a trio of harp, cello and voice, includes pieces from Massenet, Hahn and Brassens from France, as well as the foremost Brazilian artist Villa-Lobos. Belgian-born British composer Poldowski brings a female perspective to proceedings, while The Beatles introduce an unmistakable swinging sixties vibe.
This will be a Relaxed Performance.
Violinist Susannah Simmons and friends from the Orchestra of Opera North visit the streets and salons of Paris.
As they explore the rhythms of France’s iconic capital, the musical styles range from chansons capturing the essence of the city in song, through the toe-tapping rhythms of Jazz Manouche to selected works from classical composers Debussy, Poulenc and Ravel.
Wolf’s evocative settings of Tuscan and Venetian lyrics, brought to life here by three outstanding Lieder interpreters, move from delight in small things to a sense of wonder at the vastness of creation and the all-consuming power of love. All of life is on display.
These songs are by turns witty, pithy, outrageously salacious, and heartfelt. The concert, in association with Leeds Lieder, is the first of a European Tour that will see the trio perform at Wigmore Hall, Vienna Musikverein, Frankfurt Opera, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Barcelona and Cambridge.