I am delighted to announce our 56th season of concerts and recitals. Your unwavering attendance at our charitable arts organisation events during the past season has been wonderful and your continued support enables me to programme this prestigious series.

There is still of course, one very special final concert to come at Victoria Hall on Friday 6th June when the BBC PHILHARMONIC present ‘A NIGHT AT THE OPERA’ to celebrate STOKE 100. The programme will include many of your favourite operatic songs and arias, so please join us for this exciting event.

In our eight concert Classics series the BBC PHILHARMONIC and the HALLÉ will be joined by guests, the RLPO, performing our first CLASSIC FM themed evening presented by TIM LIHOREAU from the radio station.  MANCHESTER CAMERATA will perform Handel’s Messiah.

The season is a truly international one with American JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN, GEMMA NEW from New Zealand and Icelandic, DANIEL BJARNASON amongst the conductors.

Several soloists make their débuts with Dutch born violinist NOA WILDSCHUT, German pianist ELISABETH BRAUSS and Spanish clarinetist MIQUEL RAMOS SALVADÓ all featured.

Please note that following many requests, the New Year’s Viennese concert on January 2nd will be a 3pm matinee and not the regular 7.30pm start.

In the four recital Piano Masters Series at the intimate Stoke Rep Theatre, ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK returns following his sensational recital last January. He is joined by Leeds Piano Competition winner ALIM BEISEMBAYEV, who played an outstanding performance of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto at the Victoria Hall earlier this year. IYAD SUGHAYER is next season’s ‘Rising Star’ and the line-up is completed by TOM BORROW, one of the fastest-rising musicians of his generation.

Another fantastic season, full of exciting and magnificent music is in store. Enjoy your summer and I look forward to seeing you all again in the Autumn.

Mike Lloyd OBE, Hon DArt.