Settle Orchestra’s 2024/2025 season brought audiences a rich tapestry of orchestral music across three inspiring concerts, led by conductor Harry Lai and featuring outstanding soloists. From the drama of Beethoven to the sweeping beauty of Brahms and Schubert, each performance offered a celebration of classical music in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
🎧 Enjoy a taste of our recent Spring and Summer Concerts – short recordings are now available to listen online: http://www.settleorchestra.org.uk/hear-us/
This season was conducted by the talented Harry Lai, originally from Hong Kong. A pianist and conductor, Harry completed his Master’s in Piano Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music under the guidance of Murray McLachlan, and has performed with numerous RNCM orchestras and ensembles. He is also the recent recipient of 2nd Prize in the Avril Coleridge-Taylor Conducting Competition, marking him as a rising talent on the UK classical music scene.
Harry has assisted orchestras such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic, and in masterclasses conducted Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchestra Pforzheim (SWDKO), English Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. He has studied or participated in masterclasses with Mark Heron, Peter Eötvös, Gregory Vajda, Howard Williams, Douglas Bostock. Recent highlights include assisting John Storgårds and BBC Philharmonic for their BBC Proms appearance. His studies are generously supported by the Dorothy Smith Scholarship and an RNCM entrance scholarship.
🎵 Autumn Concert 2024: The Autumn programme featured Schumann’s spirited Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Reinecke’s lyrical Flute Concerto performed by Ellen Buller, and Haydn’s bold and playful Symphony No. 103 “Drumroll”, setting the tone for a richly expressive season.
Performed on: Saturday 23 November (Settle) & Saturday 30 November (Skipton)
🎵 Spring Concert 2025: The Spring concert offered a dramatic and atmospheric programme, with Sibelius’s stirring Finlandia, Dvořák’s haunting tone poem The Noon Witch, and Tchaikovsky’s emotionally charged Symphony No. 5.
Performed on: Saturday 22 March (Settle) & Saturday 29 March (Skipton)
🎵 Summer Concert 2025: The Summer programme featured Mendelssohn’s atmospheric Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Weber’s lyrical Horn Concertino performbed by our principle horn and soloist Ewan Hudson, and Schubert’s vibrant Symphony No. 3, rounding off the season on an uplifting note.
Performed on: Saturday 21 June (Settle) & Saturday 28 June (Skipton)
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for two special Summer evenings of live music in Settle and Skipton. With 235 audience members across both concerts and generous donations totalling £1,590, we’re thrilled to be donating £800 to Jessie’s Fund, supporting music therapy for children with complex needs.
These concerts were made possible thanks to a generous legacy from Dorothy Wrathall, a beloved former violinist with the orchestra, which allowed us to offer free admission in her memory.
Settle Orchestra’s 2024/2025 series celebrated the power of live music and community, offering something for seasoned concertgoers and newcomers alike.
