Hull Culture & Leisure and Hull City Council are delighted to announce the continuation of a significant partnership for a further five years with an international orchestra – the Royal Philharmonic – securing their presence in the city until 2024.
The announcement was made at the beginning of the Orchestra’s concert at Hull City Hall on Thursday evening (9 November), broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
The established partnership with the nation’s favourite orchestra will ensure orchestral provision at Hull City Hall remains relevant, accessible and enjoyable, featuring the very best orchestras performing a variety of music. It provides the city and surrounding areas with the opportunity to see one of the country’s greatest professional orchestras during a residency that will run from 2019 to 2024 inclusive.
Councillor Terry Geraghty, Hull City Council Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism and Chair of Hull Culture & Leisure Limited, said:
“The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the country’s finest professional orchestras with a world-wide reputation and we are delighted to have secured their residency for a further five years. The announcement continues to demonstrate the high-quality nature of cultural events the city delivers and their residency shows growing confidence following Hull’s year as UK City of Culture 2017.
“This fantastic opportunity will continue to offer residents of Hull and the wider region the chance to enjoy musicians and orchestras of the highest calibre performing a diverse programme of music in the perfect setting of Hull City Hall.”
James Williams, Managing Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, said:
“The RPO is immensely proud of our association with Hull, a city steeped in culture and with a first-class concert hall for orchestral music. Alongside the Orchestra’s continued commitment to bring to Hull the very finest orchestral music drawn from the RPO’s London and international seasons, the RPO will develop further our partnerships with education and community organisations across the City to ensure the widest possible access to our work for the benefit of Hull’s residents.”
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has been resident at Hull City Hall since 2014 and over these years has introduced thousands of people, both young and old to orchestral music. The impact of the Residency reaches well beyond the concert hall. Strokestra, an award-winning collaboration in Hull between the RPO and Hull Integrated Community Stroke Service, has pioneered the use of group creative music-making to drive patient-led recovery in stroke sufferers. This project is entering its second phase of development in Hull with trials in other areas of the UK.
Full details of future concerts within Hull City Hall’s orchestral season can be found via: www.hulltheatres.co.uk