The Kirklees Concert Season is a unique partnership between Kirklees Council and Opera North in which the Orchestra of Opera North brings world class music to Kirklees with its sumptuous orchestral concerts and uplifting chamber concerts. Together, with our series of relaxed and friendly organ concerts, we deliver a world-class programme of concerts to Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls.
Organ concerts
David Pipe, our Organ Curator, has drawn together some of the finest organists for this year's season. Familiar faces include Organist Emeritus, Dr Gordon Stewart and Jonathan Scott from Bridgewater Hall. As part of our Year of Music celebrations, David Pipe himself performs an evening concert this Christmas, Messiaen La Nativité du Seigneur. This music takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour of the organ's colours, and culminates in the stunning toccata 'Dieu parmi nous': God amongst us. And of course, the University of Huddersfield return with their annual Christmas Brass Band Concert.
David Pipe is Cathedral Organist for the Diocese of Leeds, Artistic Director of the Leeds International Organ Festival and Head of Organ Studies at the University of Huddersfield. Acknowledging the loyalty and sense of community inspired by the Organ Concert Season, David and the council will work with audiences to determine the best course for the long-term programme for Huddersfield Town Hall's famous Father Willis organ, which dates back to 1860.
In his last year as Borough Organist, Dr Gordon Stewart recorded a series of online concerts which were streamed between September and December 2020 and are available to watch/listen at YouTube: online organ concerts .
Orchestral season
The Orchestra of Opera North's scaled-up 2023-24 programme for Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls includes international guest debuts from Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid, Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro and Nigerian-American soprano Francesca Chiejina. The Chorus of Opera North joins the ensemble for the traditional Christmas Gala in Dewsbury, and in a night of pounding rhythms and unforgettable tunes in Huddersfield, pairing Holst's The Planets with Bernstein's Chichester Psalms - perfect for first-timers. World premieres of brand-new commissions sit alongside iconic works from the canon.
Growing audiences for Dewsbury's sociable Lunchtime Chamber Concerts can look forward to a programme extending into summer 2024. Larger ensembles will perform works including Mahler's Fourth Symphony and Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto.
Gordon's Stewart's 30 years as Borough Organist
A film commissioned by Kirklees Council to mark Gordon Stewart's 30 years as the Borough Organist for Kirklees, based at Huddersfield Town Hall. Hear Gordon discuss the history of the Town Hall organ, his time as Borough Organist, and hear him playing the beautiful Father Willis organ.
Film produced by Lawrence Batley Theatre and released as part of Kirklees Year of Music 2023.
