The orchestra is to give 14 one-hour socially distanced concerts from 1 October to 4 November

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will give the opening concerts on Thursday1 and Sunday 4 October

The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is to reopen for concerts with socially-distanced audiences. From 1 October to 4 November, there will be 14 one-hour, socially-distanced concerts with soloists including Artist in Residence baritone Roderick Williams, pianists Boris Giltburg and Stephen Hough, violinist Tasmin Little giving her final orchestral concerts and Young Artist in Residence pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.

In the opening concerts, on Thursday 1 and Sunday 4 October, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will perform under the baton of conductor Joshua Weilerstein. Their programme includes: Mozart’s Divertimento in D, Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte for String OrchestraIves’s The Unanswered Question and Beethoven’s Symphony No.4.

Audiences will be limited to 240 people, with two-metre social distancing. The orchestra will also be socially distanced on stage, and will be limited to 30 players.

The repertoire for the concert series will include two world premieres: Julian Joseph’s Othello 21 and Athanasia Kontou’s Antigone: Pure in her Crime.

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The majority of the concerts will also be streamed online from Wednesday 7 October in the new Royal Liverpool Philharmonic OnDemand concerts. Audiences can purchase a ticket here to watch at home, which will also give them access to pre and post-performance Zoom conversations with Orchestra musicians, conductors and artists. 

Michael Eakin, Chief Executive, commented: ‘It gives me great pleasure to welcome back our musicians and associated ensembles. These concerts will give the Orchestra a chance to get back to what they do best, delighting audiences and bringing music back to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall which has been silent since March. The concerts will present new and exciting commissions as well as orchestral favourites, demonstrating the versatility and creativity of the Orchestra, conductors and musicians. I look forward to the first concert on 1 October.’