Brigantes Orchestra brings Classic FM star to Sheffield

Classic FM presenter Zeb Soanes - appearing at Sheffield Cathedral with Brigantes Orchestra

Classic FM favourite Zeb Soanes and Dutch rising star Lisa Jacobs are among the major names who will be joining Sheffield’s professional orchestra for their spring 2023 classical season.

The Brigantes Orchestra, formed and conducted by city based Music Director Quentin Clare and currently sponsored by Sheffield company Neuronatal, has been performing to critical acclaim at venues across the region since 2019.

The spring season begins on March 4 at Sheffield Cathedral - the setting for every concert - with Symphonic Landscapes, a programme that includes the violin concerto by Mendelssohn and pieces by Sibelius and Yorkshireman Eric Fenby.

Returning as the evening’s special guest is violinist Lisa Jacobs, a top prize winner at international competitions, who graduated cum laude and with the highest distinction at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

Since her debut at the age of 17 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, she has played all around the world, both as a soloist with renowned orchestras and conductors and as a recitalist and vivid chamber musician.

William Walton’s Facade - featuring the words of Renishaw Hall’s celebrated poet and eccentric Edith Sitwell - comes to the cathedral on March 24, with reciters Zeb Soanes and Sarah Helsby Hughes.

Now one of the most popular voices on Classic FM, where he hosts Smooth Classics at Seven, for over 20 years Zeb was a newsreader and voice of the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4.

He is also the author of the bestselling Gaspard the Fox series of books and presents concerts with the UK’s leading orchestras.

The Brigantes season reaches its finale on June 10 with pieces from the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, including Edward Elgar’s celebrated Enigma Variations.

“The Brigantes have become an essential and popular part of classical music in the North of England and we believe our spring season will be a great blend of both the familiar and perhaps not so familiar,” said Music Director Quentin Clare.

“Our aim is always to develop innovative programmes appealing to existing audiences but which also bring in young people and those who would not normally visit the concert hall.”

To find out more about the orchestra or to book for any of the spring events simply visit www.thebrigantes.uk