Kirklees Concert Season 2023-24 is a scaled-up programme of orchestral, organ and festive performances in Huddersfield and Dewsbury town halls for Kirklees Year of Music 2023, and chamber concerts extending into next summer.
International artists making debuts with the Orchestra of Opera North include Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid in Gulda’s wild Cello Concerto, Nigerian-American soprano Francesca Chiejina in Strauss’s Four Last Songs, and conductors Joana Carneiro and Andrew Grams.
As well as performing in the traditional Christmas Gala in Dewsbury, the Chorus of Opera North joins the ensemble for a concert pairing Holst’s Planets with Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. World premières of brand-new commissions sit alongside crowd-pleasers throughout the season.
Growing audiences for Dewsbury Lunchtime Chamber Concerts can look forward to a programme extending into 2024, and larger ensembles performing works including Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto.
Following some special summer events as part of the Year of Music, Organ Curator David Pipe’s programme for Huddersfield Town Hall’s famous Father Willis instrument begins in September, with international guests including Alessandro Bianchi, Katelyn Emerson and Carolyn Craig, the return of Organist Emeritus Gordon Stewart and a special evening performance of La Messiaen’s Nativité du Seigneur leading up to Christmas.