News and Reviews

Celebrating our centenary!

Both Malcolm Sargent and the Leicester University's music department are featured in the University of Leicester's 100 project, which celebrates 100 years of change, and the beginnings of a university in Leicester. Thanks to research by Sam Dobson, Leicester Symphony...

read more

LSO 100th Season

Leicester Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce further details of its 100th year celebrations! Tickets go on sale from 22 July 2021   –   For group bookings email leicesterso@hotmail.com. Celebrating Music of the Past 100 Years poster LSO 100th Season posters...

read more
LSO update

LSO update

Although Leicester Symphony Orchestra hasn't been able to play any concerts since February 2020, we did manage to fit in two socially-distanced rehearsals for small groups of wind and strings back in October, just before the second lockdown. We hope very much that we...

read more
Lockdown Orchestra

Lockdown Orchestra

Since our Easter hymn recording with Leicester Cathedral, the Leicester Symphony Orchestra has been looking for more opportunities to play together during lockdown. That's why we teamed up with Kirby Spencer, a local composer, to produce a new and original piece....

read more
Easter Hymn

Easter Hymn

The LSO was delighted to provide orchestral accompaniment for the Easter Hymn at Leicester Cathedral's Easter Day Eucharist service (digitally and remotely, of course!) You can find a recording of the service on YouTube.  

read more
LSO Play Day

LSO Play Day

Join us for our LSO Play Day! Calling all musicians and players in other orchestras! The LSO welcomes musicians new to the orchestra to join us for our Play Day, when we will be rehearsing Elgar Falstaff: Symphonic Study in C minor op 68. Date: Sunday 1 March 2020...

read more
Rainer Hersch meets the LSO

Rainer Hersch meets the LSO

Rainer Hersch meets the LSO...! Sunday 23 February 2020, 3.00pm • De Montfort Hall ALL CLASSICAL MUSIC EXPLAINED Conductor: Rainer Hersch Expect the 1812 Overture, Bizet Carmen Overture, Ravel Bolero plus more fun and tricks than a conductor can wave a...

read more
LSO Christmas Concert

LSO Christmas Concert

SOLD OUT Leicester Symphony Orchestra is celebrating Christmas in style, with a concert at Leicester Cathedral. Saturday 14 December 2019, 7.30pm • Leicester Cathedral CHRISTMAS CONCERT With choristers and audience carols Conductor: John Andrews Whibley:...

read more

Johnston makes welcome return

  Former BBC Young Musician of the Year Guy Johnston makes a welcome return to Leicester on Sunday 9th June when he performs Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Leicester Symphony Orchestra. Guy won Young Musician of the Year in 2000 and performed the Elgar Cello...

read more
Top cellist plays with LSO

Top cellist plays with LSO

Leicester Symphony Orchestra is offering music lovers a musical and culinary feast for its summer concert. Sunday 9 June 2019, 3.00pm • De Montfort Hall MUSIC FOR A SUMMER AFTERNOON Conductor: John Andrews Cellist: Guy Johnston Mendelssohn – Elgar – Dvořák  ...

read more
Playing The Planets

Playing The Planets

Leicester Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the city's long-standing contribution to space exploration with a programme of appropriate music, the highlight of which is The Planets Suite, by Gustav Holst. Saturday 9 March 2019, 7.30pm • De Montfort Hall MUSIC OF THE...

read more

The Contra-Bassoon

THE CONTRA-BASSOON ... AND ITS CASE In the 1960’s the LSO was given a valuable and very old contra-bassoon for use by local musicians. It was manufactured by the Heckel company of Germany and has the serial number 89 which dates it to around 1878. The instrument was...

read more

Come & Play Day

Leicester Symphony Orchestra invitation to Come & Play Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances on Sunday 27 January 2019 10.30am to 4.30pm at Hodson Hall Loughborough Grammar School This is an exciting opportunity to join with LSO and enjoy playing through a piece that we...

read more