The Kirklees Concert Season, a year-round series of concerts presented by Opera North in collaboration with Kirklees Council, will return to Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls for 2025/26. The Orchestra of Opera North is set to perform seven concerts throughout the season, running from September 2025 to June 2026, alongside a special concert by the Opera North Youth Orchestra. In addition, seven chamber concerts curated and performed by musicians from the Orchestra will take place, accompanied by a series of lunchtime organ recitals featuring the historic Father Willis Organ in Huddersfield Town Hall.
The orchestra’s season opens on 25 September 2025 at Huddersfield Town Hall with conductor Gary Walker leading a program that includes Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 1 and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring soloist Elena Urioste. In December, conductor Chloe Rooke will present music from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Walton’s Viola Concerto with soloist Dana Zemtsov, alongside works by Elgar and Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen.
January 2026 highlights the Father Willis Organ in a performance of Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, with organist David Pipe and conductor Sora Elisabeth Lee, complemented by pieces from Ravel, Chabrier, and Augusta Holmes. In February, Karel Deseure will conduct music by Mozart, Stravinsky, and Beethoven. March features Oliver Rundell leading the Opera North Youth Orchestra in selections from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. The Youth Orchestra will also perform on 14 December 2025 at St. Paul’s Hall, University of Huddersfield.
The season continues in April with Gary Walker conducting works by Thomas Adès, Rachmaninov, and Brahms. It will conclude in June with Katie Stilman directing a performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, with Stilman herself as the violin soloist.
