A NEW season of concerts by Royal Northern Sinfonia and a brilliant line-

up of visiting artists will fill Middlesbrough Town Hall for the 2024-25 season. Classical music fans in the area can feel close to the action of the orchestra and guest conductors and players.

Craig Ogden plays Rodrigo on Thursday, October 10. Guitar Concerto, the Concerto de Aranjuez, will take audiences from an autumnal Middlesbrough to the heat of the Mediterranean sun, enjoying the sights and sounds of yesteryear Spain.

The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra plays Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on Wednesday, December 4. Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will give listeners everything they could ever want from Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, while Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony will take everyone on a wild musical ride.

Royal Northern Sinfonia's principal conductor, Dinis Sousa, will lead Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 14, with the force of counter tenor Reginald Mobley and Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia.

The Viennese New Year's Concert is on Thursday, January 2. Nil Venditti is Royal Northern Sinfonia's new principal guest conductor. Nil will beat the January Blues with melodies, waltzes and polkas to sweep revellers off their feet.

On Thursday, March 13, The Hallé will paint an atmospheric landscape with Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony. Violinist Ning Feng complements the programme with Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy – a violin concerto in all but name that takes traditional Scottish folk tunes as its starting point.

Music fans will enter Dvořák’s New World Symphony on Thursday, April 3, conducted by Stephanie Childress – a powerful piece of symphonic music. Pianist Piotr Anderszewski adds to the joy with Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 (36').

The final concert of the season on Thursday, May 22, features Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The music starts with perhaps the most famous four notes in history. As well as this, Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto is 30 minutes of the most intense music audiences will ever experience, played by soloist Jaemin Han.

James Thomas, director of Royal Northern Sinfonia said: “We return to our friends in Middlesbrough and look forward to sharing a powerful programme with enthusiastic and warm audiences.

"We’ve put our heart and soul into this season and would love to see you there."

Tickets for all concerts are £25, with under-30s able to buy tickets for £10. To book, visit www.middlesbroughtownhall.co.uk/whats-on.