It doesn’t seem a year since I was greeting you for the first time, but now it is time to introduce you to the 2012/13 season.

This season is a particularly special one, as September 2012 marks the 80th anniversary of City Hall’s opening. There are a number of events to celebrate this landmark, notably the 2012/13 Season opener with the Hallé; featuring both Sir Mark Elder and Lesley Garrett CBE. This concert includes a number of works from the opening weekend’s concerts in 1932. On Saturday 22nd September, we are supporti ng the next generation of musicians as the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra perform a family concert, at which we hope you will join us.

The 2012/13 Season features many distinguished performers, whilst offering a platform for young artists, from Britain and further afield, to showcase their award-winning talent. In addition to Cristian Mandeal and Alexander Dmitriev, conductors Andrew Gourlay and Rory Macdonald will feature; as will soloists Steven Osborne, Chloë Hanslip, Alban Gerhardt, Evgenia Rubinova, Freddy Kempf and Mikhail Rudy. We are also laying the foundati ons for future audiences through a number of different initiatives, including Hallé educati on projects – Adopt-a-Player and Come and Play – which introduce children to the incredible world of classical music and the variety of emoti ons it can evoke. We hope you will make these young people welcome at our concerts.

We will be running lunchtime singing and orchestra workshops alongside the Season. Open to everyone, we hope they will prove a pleasurable way to develop your own musical skills in a friendly environment whilst furthering your understanding and enjoyment of the concerts.

It is also fi tti ng that as they approach their own 80th birthday, the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, intrinsically linked with the City Hall, will join three different ensembles in the coming season. Firstly the Black Dyke Band for two performances of our traditional Christmas celebration, then the Manchester Camerata and a cast of star-studded soloists for Handel’s Messiah and finally the Hallé in a dramatic concert inspired by the sea. The Hallé’s other appearances, central to the season, are interspersed with performances from the BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and international orchestras from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Once again, thank you for your support and I hope that you will enjoy the rich variety of music that this year’s programme has to offer. Live orchestral music is such a thrilling experience and one that should be shared with as many people as possible. With your support, both the City Hall and our International Concert Season will still be going strong in another 80 years.

Richard Hunter
General Manager of Sheffield City Hall
r.hunter@sivltd.com