Violinist Jennifer Pike joins the NCO for its season opener in Macclesfield this October

The Northern Chamber Orchestra, the North West’s longest-standing chamber orchestra, are joined by previous BBC Young Musician winner, Jennifer Pike, in their season launch concert on Saturday 15 October.

For its first appearance since the departure of Artistic Director and Leader Nicholas Ward, the NCO will perform at its new venue, the state-of-the-art auditorium at The King’s School in Macclesfield. The concert is conducted by the Hallé’s assistant conductor Delyana Lazarova in an all-Beethoven concert. The programme opens with his Violin Concerto, Op.61, a work radical in both the grandeur of its conception and the originality of its solo writing. Also on the programme is the Eroica Symphony, undoubtedly a turning point in music history. The two opening forte chords herald a new sound world, full of emotional extremes, complex rhythms and harmonic dissonances.

The NCO’s season continues in November and December with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, ‘Jupiter’, conducted by Jamie Philips (November 5), and Haydn’s D major cello concerto, featuring soloist Guy Johnston and directed by his brother Magnus Johnston (December 17).

Born in Stockport, Jennifer Pike is renowned for her unique artistry and compelling insight into music from the Baroque to the present day. She made her concerto debut with the Hallé aged 11, and her international career was launched the following year when she won the BBC Young Musician and became the youngest major prizewinner in the Menuhin International Violin Competition. She now performs worldwide with eminent conductors, and in October 2020, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to classical music.

After winning the inaugural Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition in February 2020, Delyana Lazarova became Assistant Conductor to Sir Mark Elder at the Hallé Orchestra and Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra in Manchester.

Reflecting this new beginning for the NCO, discounted tickets for under 30s are available for the first time, alongside free tickets for under 18s and students. Tickets are on sale now from www.ncorch.co.uk