City of Carlisle Orchestra

07/02/2025

Tickets are now on sale at Carlisle Old Town Hall for this amazing concert (or from members of the orchestra).

Discover Carlisle Love Carlisle Love Cumbria

07/12/2024

We are planning to go ahead as planned. See you there!

06/12/2024

As a committee member, I can reassure you that Kentaro, our conductor, has transport (if trains are not running) for tomorrow night's concert.

We will make a decision early afternoon as to whether or not to cancel the concert based on the weather. We are hopeful it will still go ahead, but keeping a close eye on the weather.

Expect a message here if it is cancelled. (Website unlikely to be updated so all news will be posted here).

05/12/2024

A couple of members spent some time at CRFM talking about the orchestra and our upcoming concert this Saturday.

28/11/2024

A new piece by Cumbrian composer James Booth will be heard for the first time at the City of Carlisle Orchestra’s winter concert on Saturday 7th December.

Lake Land takes the form of a tone poem that evocatively conveys the different colours and moods of the lakes and hills at the centre of our county.

James says of his composition: “Though Lakeland’s landscape can be charming, this picture postcard view is deceptive. From picturesque to bleak, the gentle slopes lead to wild and at times treacherous mountains. And so, the orchestra follows its changing moods to evoke moments of joy to lonely sojourns. I sincerely hope we will always protect and cherish this unique and beautiful landscape.”

From the ship-building town of Barrow in Furness, James is the eldest of four children born to profoundly deaf parents.

His passion for music is diverse, having studied piano and orchestration with John Hammond and classical guitar with Scott Bradley. His mentors also included composer, Ronald Stevenson.

James has had an original guitar work performed by Scott Bradley in Carlisle Cathedral as well as piano music by concert pianist Kathryn Page at Cheetham’s School of Music in Manchester.
James now lives in north Cumbria and is currently recording a studio album of his own music in blues and jazz genres. He teaches music privately and in local schools.

As well as Lake Land, the concert programme features Gustav Holst’s Suite de Ballet, Sergei Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite and, in distinctly festive mood, A Carol Symphony by Viktor Hely-Hutchinson.

The orchestra will be conducted by Kentaro Machida, a Japanese conductor who is currently studying on the Masters in Orchestral Conducting programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, under Martyn Brabbins and Michael Bawtree.

Kentaro graduated with first-class honours in music from the University of Oxford, and was the Senior Organ Scholar at Merton College, accompanying the college’s renowned mixed-voice choir in their chapel services, BBC broadcasts and award-winning CD recordings as well as on UK and international tours.
An Associate of the Royal College of Organists, he is regularly invited to play recitals both in the UK and internationally.
He has received tuition from prominent conductors including Alexander Polishchuk, Sian Edwards, Stuart Stratford, John Wilson and Ryan Bancroft (a former conductor of the City of Carlisle Orchestra, now principal conductor with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra),
Kentaro is grateful to be supported by the Doggett Family Foundation, and the Leverhulme Trust Scholarship.

The concert starts at 7.30pm in St John’s Church, London Road, Carlisle.
Tickets are £10 in advance from orchestra members, Bookcase in Castle Street and the Tourist Information Centre at the Old Town Hall, or £12 at the door. Under 18s free.

The orchestra wishes to express its appreciation to Cathedral Lodge Antiques for their generous sponsorship of this concert.

16/11/2024

Sharing for musical friends.. it's the day after our concert.. why not treat yourself to a weekend of local, seasonal, live music?

13/11/2024

🎶 Rehearsals are going well, this concert will be a lively evening full of joyful music with a seasonal touch!

❄️ Tickets available now from orchestra members or Bookcase Carlisle or the Tourist Information Office in

16/10/2024

09/10/2024

If you have been following our concerts and seen our guest conductors in action, you might find this interesting!
Spot Jacobus who conducted us in our summer concert and get a sneaky peak of Kentaro who will direct our winter concert ! 🎶

31/08/2024

It's a date!

Winter 2024 Concert

Saturday, 7th Dec 2024, 7:30pm

St. John's Church, London Road, Carlisle

Programme includes
Holst: Suite de Ballet, Op. 10

Booth: Lakeland (A new piece by a local composer)

Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite

Hely-Hutchinson: A Carol Symphony

Conductor: TBD
Leader: Robert Charlesworth

http://www.cityofcarlisleorchestra.co.uk/index.html

31/08/2024

We're getting excited about starting rehearsals for our next concert with a new conductor... !

29/07/2024

Julie, one of our French Horn players, got us a mention on BBC Radio 3 😃

28/05/2024

Some information about our latest conductor.....

Jacobus de Jager is the most recent winner of the SA Conductors’ Competition and was one of the eight semi-finalists of the 2023 Herbert von Karajan Young Conductor’s Award Salzburg.
Jacobus was the 2021 and 2022 resident conductor of the Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra and has guest conducted South African orchestras such as the Cape Town Philharmonic, Mzansi National Philharmonic, Free State Symphony, Eastern Cape Philharmonic, Johannesburg Festival and Cape Town Pops Orchestras.
Jacobus is currently studying MMus Orchestral Conducting with Martyn Brabbins at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As part of his studies and during competitions and masterclasses in Europe, he has conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Hebrides Ensemble, Red Note Ensemble, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonic, RCS Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik, and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.
Jacobus has received masterclasses from conductors such as Paavo Järvi, Marin Alsop, Neeme Järvi, John Wilson, Antony Hermus, Sian Edwards, Leonid Grin, Ryan Bancroft, James Lowe, Michalis Economou, Kristjan Järvi, Stuart Stratford, Arjan Tien, Victor Yampolsky, Ryan McAdams, and Daniel Raiskin. His previous conducting teachers include Daniel Boico in South Africa, and Alexander Polishchuk in St Petersburg. In 2023 he was one of the 16 active participants in the Järvi Academy at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia, where he worked with the Järvi Academy Sinfonietta and Youth Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his conducting studies, Jacobus holds a Bachelor and Master of Music (Cum Laude) in piano performance from the University of Stellenbosch, having studied with Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães.

23/05/2024

The City of Carlisle Orchestra will perform their 2024 Summer Concert at St. John's Church on Saturday 29 June.

The Programme includes:
Weber: Der Freischutz Overture
Grieg: Four Norwegian Dances
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3, “The Polish”

Conductor: Jacobus de Jager
Leader: Katharine Bowness

Tickets are £10 in advance, available now from the Carlisle Tourist Information Centre (01228 598596).

For further information visit http://www.cityofcarlisleorchestra.co.uk/concerts.html

18/05/2024

Tickets are on sale now for our next concert.