Leeds Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest established symphony orchestras in the United Kingdom dating back to 1890. It is a non-professional orchestra based in Leeds, Yorkshire, with a membership of around 80 players. Up to ten concerts a year are given at venues including Leeds, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Horsforth. The orchestra's repertoire in recent years has ranged from seventeenth-century music to present-day works.
Martin Binks was the orchestra's conductor for 49 years from September 1970 to December 2019, making him one of the longest-serving conductors in the UK. He introduced a notable quantity of French music into the orchestra's repertoire, for which the French government appointed him Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993. He was also appointed MBE in 2014 for services to music in Yorkshire. [1] [2]
Classical guitarist Craig Ogden is the orchestra's honorary president, having appeared with the orchestra on many previous occasions. His association with the orchestra includes the first performance, in November 2000, of Arthur Butterworth's Guitar Concerto, a work commissioned by the orchestra. [3] [4]
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, the BSO performs most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood.
Sir Colin Rex Davis was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom he was particularly associated were Mozart, Berlioz, Elgar, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Tippett.
Charles Édouard Dutoit is a Swiss conductor. He is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of the MISA Festival in Shanghai. In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal Award. Dutoit held previous positions with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Tokyo NHK Symphony and the Orchestre National de France. As of 2017, he is conductor emeritus of the Verbier Music Festival Orchestra. He is an honorary member of the Ravel Foundation in France and the Stravinsky Foundation in Switzerland. In December 2017, following allegations of sexual assault, the Boston and San Francisco Symphonies cancelled his engagements. In a statement, Dutoit denied the charges.
Sir Neville Marriner, was an English violinist and "one of the world's greatest conductors". Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the 18 "Greatest and Most Famous Conductors of All Time". He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.
Paavo Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor. He has been chief conductor of Zurich's Tonhalle since 2020.
Dame Janet Abbott Baker is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.
Maurice Abravanel was an American classical music conductor. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years.
Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it began regular performances at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda.
Sir Andrew Frank Davis is an English conductor. He is conductor laureate of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The Orchestre national de France is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio, the ONF performs mainly in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées from where all its concerts are broadcast. Some concerts are also held in the Salle Olivier Messiaen in the Maison de Radio France.
André Cluytens was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the concert hall, opera house and recording studio. His repertoire extended from Viennese classics through French composers to 20th century works. Although much of his career was spent in France, he was the first French conductor at Bayreuth in 1955; he also conducted The Ring and Parsifal at La Scala.
Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster.
Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary recital space is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.
David Hill, is a choral conductor and organist. Beginning July 2013, he holds an appointment to the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. His highest-profile roles are as Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007 until 2017, and Musical Director of The Bach Choir since April 1998.
JoAnn Falletta is an American conductor.
The Leeds Festival, officially known as the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival, was a classical music festival which took place between 1858 and 1985 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Patrick Alan Thomas was an Australian conductor.
The Bach Choir is a large independent musical organisation founded in London, England in 1876 to give the first performance of J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor in Britain.
The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra (YSO) is an orchestra based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was first active from its establishment in 1947 until its demise in 1955, and then revived in 2021. Initially based in the Leeds Town Hall, it is now based at Yeadon Town Hall, on the outskirts of Leeds. Maurice Miles was the orchestra's Principal Conductor, followed by Nicolai Malko.
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