Name: Film Music: From Mahler to Williams
Start: 2025-06-01T16:00:00
Location: Huddersfield Town Hall

Opera North is set to captivate audiences with a diverse range of performances in their upcoming season. From the timeless opera 'The Magic Flute' to the thrilling narrative of 'The Flying Dutchman,' each event promises to deliver unique experiences. Music lovers can also anticipate the debut of 'Simon Boccanegra,' a riveting Verdi opera, alongside varied musical performances, including classic symphonies and innovative jazz. This season highlights Opera North's dedication to offering something for everyone, ensuring an engaging and inclusive experience for all attendees.

Opera North's Diverse Season: A Journey Through Music and Drama

Opera North is set to enchant audiences with a series of compelling performances across the UK. Embark on a journey through the rich tapestry of Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra', Prokofiev's 'Classical Symphony', and an exhilarating showcase of film music featuring iconic pieces from Mahler to Williams. With a roster of talented performers and a schedule that includes prestigious venues, Opera North invites you to experience the magic of opera and symphony like never before.

Opera North Unveils A Captivating Series of Musical Masterpieces

Opera North's 2025 season is set to be a thrilling journey through time and space, bringing audiences a taste of dramatic Italian opera, innovative Russian symphonies, and iconic film scores. From Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra' to the orchestral genius of Prokofiev and the evocative film scores of Mahler and Williams, this season promises to captivate and enchant music lovers across the UK. With performances in prestigious venues, this is an unmissable lineup for both seasoned opera enthusiasts and new audiences alike.

Opera North: A Spectacular Showcase of Verdi, Prokofiev, and Cinematic Scores

Garry Walker

Opera North

Join us for an evening of theatre magic as pupils from schools across Leeds join forces to perform a specially commissioned arrangement of Englebert Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel by composer Will Cole.

Over the course of the week we will be joined by children from Kings Meadow Academy, New Bewerley Community Academy, Allerton Bywater, Westgate Primary, Ebor Gardens and Clapgate primary schools. They will be performing as part of a massed choir, accompanied by professional singers and members of the Orchestra of Opera North.

Hansel & Gretel Re-Imagined

The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds

Over the course of the week we will be joined by children from Kings Meadow Academy, New Bewerley Community Academy, Allerton Bywater, Westgate Primary, Ebor Gardens and Clapgate primary schools. They will be performing as part of a massed choir, accompanied by professional singers and members of the Orchestra of Opera North.

Embrace a bold and colourful sound world as Manchester Collective bring to life work by titans in contemporary experimental music. For these women, music is an embodied, grounding experience. It’s in the vibrations of our vocal chords, and in our heartbeats.

Manchester Collective: Patterns in Repeat

Get ready for a summer night like no other as Utah Saints present Club Classical Ibiza next June. Curated and headlined by Leeds’ own electronic music pioneers, this brand new open air event brings together iconic dance music and the scale of a live orchestra for a unique experience under the city skyline.

Club Classical Ibiza

Millennium Square, Leeds

Led by a trio of opera singers and an accordionist, Mini Magic Flute follows a Prince’s search for a Princess, but nothing is quite as it first appears… Join a host of fantastical characters – from a bird-catcher to a dragon! – on this magical quest.

Little Listeners: Mini Magic Flute is the perfect opportunity for all the family to experience and share the charm of opera. At just 40 minutes long, the show is perfect for all ages but has been especially designed for those aged 4 – 7 years old.

Join us for a craft session before our performances at Cast (28 Jun), Ripon (10 July), HAR (11 July), or Barrow (31 July) to make a paper bird that will be used throughout the story and can be taken home afterward as a memento of a magical day. Bookers for other venues will be sent a ‘how to’ guide to create their own at home.

Little Listeners: Mini Magic Flute

Cast, Doncaster

Darley Street Market, Bradford

The Wesley Centre

University of Leeds

Lake District Music Festival

Storyhouse

Stoller Hall, Manchester

Otley Courthouse

Allhallowgate Methodist Church & Halls

National Centre for Early Music, York

Get ready to step back in time and experience the ultimate celebration of 80s pop, as original artists perform their biggest hits live – reimagined with the symphonic power of the 50-piece Orchestra of Opera North.

This year’s show is headlined by pop legends Bananarama, joined by Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward and Johnny Hates Jazz. Together they’ll deliver an unforgettable night filled with timeless hits including Venus, Wouldn’t It Be Good, Shattered Dreams, Fantastic Day and many more. The brilliant backing vocalists, Bianca Claxton and Adetoun Anibi, will also perform a bonus set of crowd-pleasing favourites, guaranteed to keep you dancing all night long.

80s Classical

Led by a trio of opera singers and an accordionist, Mini Magic Flute follows a Prince’s search for a Princess, but nothing is quite as it first appears… Join a host of fantastical characters – from a bird-catcher to a dragon! – on this magical quest.

Darley Street Market

Ripon International Festival

Stoller Hall

The National Centre for Early Music

The Stricklandgate House Trust

Cast

Ryedale Festival

Experience the power, passion and pride of Caribbean music like never before as the Island Orchestra takes to the stage at Opera North for a truly unforgettable live performance blending the richness of orchestral sound with the heartbeat of reggae, soca, calypso and contemporary Black music influences.

Island Orchestra with Mike Anthony and friends

Founded in 2000, the group has spent a quarter of a century pushing the boundaries of the genre. Founders Reid Anderson and Dave King have built a reputation for a fearless approach to composition, famously pairing original works with an unconventional array of covers. Their repertoire has reached far beyond the traditional jazz bubble, spanning everything from Ornette Coleman and Cole Porter to Black Sabbath, Aphex Twin, and Nirvana.

The Bad Plus Farewell Tour

An audio-visual journey through 16 years of incredible dance music and club culture. From the early days of acid house to huge rave anthems, 90s house and garage classics and the soaring sounds of the 00s superclub.

Dance Music Archive 006

Tatyana, a young woman living in the depths of the Russian countryside, falls hopelessly in love with Eugene Onegin, a dashing, cynical man of the world. Thinking her naïve, he casually rejects her. When, many years later, they meet again, Tatyana is married to another man and the toast of fashionable St Petersburg society. Too late Onegin realises that he loves Tatyana, with devastating consequences for them both.

Tchaikovsky adapted Pushkin’s great verse novel for the stage and set it to music that displays his gift for unforgettable melody – particularly in Tatyana’s famous ‘Letter Scene’ – and his genius for dance in the rural revels and the Petersburg ball scenes. The result is a deeply affecting portrait of love, regret and missed chances.

Eugene Onegin

Leeds Grand Theatre

Beth Orton has spent more than three decades establishing herself as a distinctive voice in British music. Her career is marked by a series of records that shift between musical styles – from the folktronica of her 1996 debut Trailer Park and the classic rock influences of Comfort of Strangers, to the self-produced Weather Alive in 2022.

Beth Orton

May the Force be with the Orchestra of Opera North as it embarks on a journey through space, time, and the realms of witchcraft.

Film Music: From Mahler to Williams

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