Leeds Festival Chorus and Royal Northern Sinfonia set to light up town hall

Picture caption: Leeds Town Hall will be the setting for a special performance by the Leeds Festival Chorus and the Royal Northern Sinfonia this Saturday.



The Leeds Festival Chorus will join forces with the Royal Northern Sinfonia as part of a special concert to be held at Leeds Town Hall on Saturday 28 February.



Under the baton of conductor Simon Wright, the orchestra presents Mozart’s Symphony No 35 (Haffner) and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 1 in F. They will be joined on stage by Bibi Heal (soprano), Julia Doyle (soprano), Kathryn Rudge (mezzo soprano), Joshua Ellicott (tenor), and Matthew Hargreaves (baritone) as they perform Dixit Dominus, showing Haydn at his vivacious and dramatic best. The Dixit Dominus text also starts Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore but these Vespers are anything by solemn, as the choir and soloists work together energetically as the composer explores a fascinating variety of stunning ideas and sounds.



Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council’s executive member for digital and creative technologies, culture and skills said:



"We are delighted to welcome back the Leeds Festival Chorus to the town hall this week, as they team up with the Royal Northern Sinfonia for what promises to be a really fantastic concert.



"Our concerts at Leeds Town Hall continue to be extremely popular, and we would ask people to book their tickets as soon as possible to avoid missing out."



Tickets are priced £16 - £31.50 (discounts available) and can be purchased from the Box Office on 0113 224 3801 or online at www.leedstownhall.co.uk. Please note that this independent concert is not part of the Leeds International Concert Season.



Notes to editors:



Leeds Festival Chorus is a chorus singing to professional standards with 150 performing members. It presents classical choral music in Yorkshire and elsewhere in Britain, including at the London Proms and Manchester Arena. The choir has worked with the English Chamber Orchestra, The Hallé, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, and Northern Sinfonia and has also broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 3. Festival commissions or premières include A Sea Symphony (Vaughan Williams), Belshazzar’s Feast (Walton), Choral Symphony (Holst), The Fall of Jerusalem (Muldowney) and works by Dvorák and Elgar.



This evening’s conductor, Simon Wright, was born in Sunderland and educated at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Manchester College of Music. As a teenager he often worked with Sir John Barbirolli as an accompanist of the Hallé Choir. He has conducted many orchestral and choral premières, worked with most of the major UK orchestras and regularly conducts internationally. His performances and recordings continue to attract much critical acclaim.



For further information please contact:



Alison Stockwell

Music Officer

Arts Planning Team

Leeds International Concert Season



Tel. 0113 247 8336

Fax. 0113 247 8334

Alison.Stockwell@leeds.gov.uk

Leeds Town Hall, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AD

www.leedsconcertseason.com

Follow us @LeedsConcerts



Listing Information:



Saturday 28 February, 7.30pm

Leeds Festival Chorus

Royal Northern Sinfonia

Simon Wright conductor

Bibi Heal soprano

Julia Doyle soprano

Kathryn Rudge mezzo soprano

Joshua Ellicott tenor

Matthew Hargreaves baritone

Handel Dixit Dominus

Mozart Symphony No 35 (Haffner)

Bach Brandenburg Concerto No 1 in F

Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore

Tickets: £31.50, £29, £26.50, £21, £16 (discounts available)

Box Office: 0113 224 3801 / Book online www.leedstownhall.co.uk



For media enquiries, please contact;

Colin Dickinson, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 39 51578

Email: colin.dickinson@leeds.gov.uk