Welcome to the 39th Lancaster International Concert Series

I am delighted that our audiences continue to grow and that over 32,000 people have attended these concerts during the past five years. In developing the series, in response to your comments, we have built on the mix of artists and repertoire so that the 2007/08 programme really does promise something for everyone.

The BBC Philharmonic makes a particularly welcome return, while later in the season the Northern Chamber Orchestra is joined by the outstanding tenor Philip Langridge. We are thrilled at the incredible array of international chamber musicians appearing while – putting Lancaster’s own music-making at the heart of the series – the Lancaster Singers present Brahms’s Requiem under the baton of the President of Lancaster Concerts, Denis McCaldin.

It has been a tradition to seek out the most astonishingly promising young artists. In this series – from richly varied orchestral concerts by the gifted students of Chetham’s and of the RNCM (which also presents an opera, The Marriage of Figaro), to the debut of the phenomonal young pianist Kit Armstrong – the hottest talent of tomorrow comes to Lancaster.

Of course, this is only a taste of the immense and varied range of programmes and fine artists featured this season. I hope you will find much to engage and excite you, and that you will be encouraged to try something different, perhaps discovering something unexpected to enjoy. And, this year, for the first time, there are even three concerts you can also experience in the comfort of your own home, as a webcast.

My thanks go to you, the audience, for supporting the series by attending the concerts, to the Friends of Lancaster Concerts for their unfailing encouragement, and to all who make this series so special.

Tim Williams, Director,
Lancaster International Concert Series