"The region's finest non-professional

orchestra... one of the most

remarkable in the country".

YORKSHIRE POST 

Musical Director

David Greed

The 2012/13 season of concerts given by Sinfonia of Leeds will mark the orchestra’s 40th anniversary. We have planned to celebrate this event in style. On a sad note, Dougie Scarfe has left the orchestra to take up his new position of Chief Executive of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He will be sorely missed by Sinfonia as well as Opera North.

In Dougie’s place we have invited two guest conductors to appear alongside me. Anthony Kraus has worked as conductor with ENO, Opera North and Northern Sinfonia as well as with many other artistic institutions.He is currently Assistant Head of Music at ON. He will conduct a programme of European orchestral classics and the concert will feature Ravel’s song cycle ‘Sheherazade’ sung by the highly talented mezzo-soprano Rebecca Afonwy-Jones. Anthony’s concert is called the ‘Dennis Casson Concert’ in honour of an old friend of the orchestra. We are constantly and tremendously grateful to his widow Kathy for her generous support. 

Justin Doyle is a graduate of King's College Cambridge, and has conducted Opera North, the Halle Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Manchester Camerata. He was Director of the Ryedale Festival for many years. He has broadcast regularly for BBC Radio 3 and 4. His programme features Prokofiev’s 5th Symphony and a piano concerto as yet unknown with a soloist also as yet unknown! At the conclusion of the 2012 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition we will invite one of the finalists to play with us.

Other highlights in the season include Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra which, as the title suggests, is a veritable ‘tour de force’ for our players - and Rachmaninov’s 3rd Symphony – rather more exotic than the very well known 2nd. I am delighted to present during the season the Woodwind Finalist of the BBC Young Musician Competition 2012 – Jordan Black (clarinet) and the Leader of the English Chamber Orchestra – Stephanie Gonley (violin).                                

Please note that we will be performing our January and March concerts at St Edmund’s Church Roundhay. This is a new departure for the orchestra and a lovely venue for concert-giving. The November and June concerts remain at Leeds University Great Hall.

Possibly our most ambitious season to date, we are all tremendously excited to be reaching such a landmark as our ‘Ruby Season’ and performing such great orchestral music to our customary high standards. I look forward very much to seeing you all at the concerts.

David Greed – Music Director of Sinfonia of Leeds

Sinfonia was founded in 1973 by Graham Bennett who conducted the orchestra for the next 17 years. Graham's avowed aim was to bring together the best amateur musicians in the area and to weld them into a chamber orchestra with professional standards of performance and presentation.

As his successor in 1990, David Greed, as Musical Director and Principal Conductor, has encouraged the orchestra to broaden its musical horizons and grow in order to play some of the larger symphonic works.

In addition to performing the standard orchestra repertoire, Sinfonia has commissioned and performed new works by Philip Wilby, Arthur Wills, William Kinghorn, Lawrence Killian and Graham Lynch.

It has worked with many eminent soloists including the pianist Michael Roll and the late Ralph Holmes (violin) and its connection with Opera North, where David is the orchestra Leader, has given it an opportunity to work with a number of ON soloists including David himself.