Kirklees is renowned for its rich musical heritage and the wide range of opportunities there are for people of all ages to become involved in making music.
And the contributions made by organisations such as Musica Kirklees and the Mrs Sunderland Festival are invaluable in making sure these opportunities continue for future generations to enjoy.
On Wednesday February 18 nearly 150 musicians of all ages came together in Huddersfield Town Hall for the first ever Kirklees Orchestral Tutti.
Players from seven local organisations, Musica Youth Orchestra Huddersfield, Huddersfield and Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestras, Paddock and Holmfirth Orchestras, University of Huddersfield and Musica Kirklees took part, and Peter Simons and Andrew Griffiths from Musica Kirklees led the workshop.
The musicians were presented with a challenging programme and they certainly rose to the occasion!
For over two hours they studied two popular, but very contrasting works, Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony and John Williams’ Star Wars Suite. And, by any measure, the standard of their playing was impressive.
READ MORE: Find out what’s on in Huddersfield in March 2026 HERE
The enthusiastic and attentive orchestra produced a rich body of sound while at the same time managing to capture the character and finer details of the music.
Having the opportunity to play in an orchestra of 150 talented and enthusiastic musicians is something they will remember, possibly for a lifetime.
The aim of the evening was to raise awareness of the fabulous orchestral heritage we have in Kirklees, as well as promoting the work of our community orchestras to our younger players.
And by the end of the evening there was no doubt that this aim had been well and truly achieved.
Judging by conversations taking place in the hall afterwards there was a strong desire to repeat the event next year.
The Mrs Sunderland Festival provided the Town Hall and representatives from each orchestra helped with planning and running the evening.
