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The Bardi Share the Stage with Students from Leicester Grammar School

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10th November 2025

The annual Leicester Grammar School concert in early November is a special date in the orchestra’s concert calendar.

These concerts are part of a unique association between the Orchestra and the school providing opportunities for talented students to play alongside Bardi players with some also performing as soloists with the full orchestra. Parents and other guests are treated to a real cornucopia of Music ranging from Bach to the theme from Superman and have the opportunity to hear some of the top players in the school perform movements on a range of instruments from, in this year’s concert, the euphonium to the saxophone and a Mozart duet from two very talented young singers.

Detailed notes about each piece, in addition to a well-produced concert programme, were displayed on large screen at the front of St Nicholas Hall. There was a real buzz in the foyer in the interval and after the concert and the Orchestra received a number of messages afterwards saying how good the concert was. 

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Basset Clarinettist Easher Austin is our Bardi Young Musician 2026!

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28 October 2025

The Bardi are delighted to announce that the winner of Bardi Young Musician 2026 is basset clarinettist Easher Austin.

The selection process, which has been ongoing since June 2025, reached its climax on 18 October for six young  musicians. The range of instruments was interesting, our first ever orchestral percussion candidate with a marimba, a euphonium player, three violinists and a clarinetist.  

The audition panel comprised BYM conductor Paul Hilliam, Bardi Orchestra Manager Robert Calow and violinist Michael Lessiter. Each auditionee had to play a piece for 10 minutes and then have an interview with the panel.  To say that the panel were blown away with the standard of playing and interviews is an understatement, and their discussions went on for some considerable time before they finally agreed unanimously on Easher Austin from Mountsorrel, a pupil at Loughborough Grammar School.

Easher particularly stood out in his choice to perform the Mozart Clarinet Concerto on the basset clarinet, the instrument for which the composer originally wrote the work. The basset clarinet is a member of the clarinet family, similar to the usual A and B-flat clarinets seen in the orchestra but longer and with additional keys to enable playing several additional lower notes.

You will be able to hear this rare instrument played by Easher at Holy Trinity Church, Regent Road, Leicester, in a concert with the Bardi Symphony Orchestra on Saturday 24th January 2026. Keep an eye on the Bardi website for more details. 

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Bardi Wind and Oadby & Wigston Lions raise £7,000 for ABF at VE Day 80 Concert!

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14th October 2025

The Bardi Wind Orchestra and Oadby & Wigston Lions raise £7,000 for the ABF (Army Benevolent Fund) – The Soldiers’ Charity at summer charity gala concert.

Bardi Wind Orchestra Music Director David Calow, Orchestra Manager Robert Calow and members of Oadby & Wigston Lions Club were at De Montfort Hall at the end of September to present a cheque for an amazing £7,000 to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Bryon Brotherton MBE, Chairman of the ABF Leicestershire & Rutland Committee. 

The money was raised at the Bardi Wind Orchestra VE DAY 80 charity concert held at De Montfort Hall in association with the Lions Club back in June. This year’s concert was very well attended with many civic representatives present and was the official VE Day 80 Concert for the County. A highlight for many attending the concert was Bryon performing ‘Amazing Grace’ on the bagpipes with the Wind Orchestra.

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The Bardi’s 2025/26 Season Opens in Fine Style

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6th October 2025

The Bardi began their 2025-26 season in fine style Last Sunday afternoon.  

To open the concert a good-sized audience were treated to a rarity, Max Steiner’s Casablanca Film Suite, this comparatively short piece encapsulates the essence of this well-loved film, and it was wonderful to see faces lighting up as they realised what it was about.  A return visit by Zoë Beyers, leader of the BBC Philharmonic, completed the first half with Korngold’s Violin Concerto, a piece of considerable difficulty, again redolent of the afternoon titled ‘a concert born in Hollywood’.  This piece is not often performed, but Zoë gave it a show-stopping airing to the great delight of the audience. 

Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2 occupied the whole of the second half which will live long in the memory of those who heard it. Jonathon Lo and the Orchestra gave a polished and stylish performance full of the nuances that this great work deserves. The ovation at the end said it all and appreciative messages are still coming in.

Three further concerts in the 2025-26 season are already booking up – Get your tickets here!

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Bardi Players Enjoyed Annual Social Ahead of New Season

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9th September 2025

Players from the Bardi Symphony Orchestra had a pre-season social get together to look back on probably the most successful season of recent years – the 2024-2025 ‘New Horizons’ season.  

The season saw a return to four concerts at De Montfort Hall with four high-profile conductors, a very successful Bardi Young Musician competition and Workshop day, together with record audience attendances.

Light refreshments and wine were organised by Jane Bevan, Christine Taylor and Tim Hobbs and a very professionally produced video of highlights of the seasons performances, made by our long-time video and audio specialist and very good friend, Alan Hames, was shown on the audiovisual system at Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road in Leicester.  

All good socials have time for a lot of chatter and there was much discussion about the new season which starts on 5 October.  Tickets for this went on sale last May and sales of the specially discounted three and four subscription tickets have already exceeded last year at this time. 

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Watch Highlights from the 2024/25 Bardi Concert Season

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18th August 2025

The Bardi Symphony Orchestra’s 2024/25 ‘New Horizons’ season has been a resounding success, with audience numbers not seen for many years supporting the Orchestra.

You can watch a number of highlights from the concerts below, or by visiting our YouTube Channel here.

Sunday 1st December 2024
Ravel – Bolero (excerpt)

Sunday 1st December 2024
Respighi – The Pines of Rome, iv. Pines of the Appian Way

Sunday 23rd March 2025
Glinka – Rusland and Lyudmila Overture

Sunday 23rd March 2025
Stravinsky – The Firebird, Berceuse & Finale

Sunday 18th May 2025
Holst – The Planets, Mars

Sunday 18th May 2025
Holst – The Planets, Jupiter

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Bardi Wind Celebrate VE Day 80 at De Montfort Hall

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10th June 2025

Sunday’s Bardi Wind Orchestra concert delivers exactly what was needed for a stylish but meaningful VE DAY80 commemoration. 

One of the City’s main events to celebrate VE Day80 was a concert given by the Bardi Wind Orchestra under the baton of Music Director and Conductor David Calow at De Montfort Hall on Sunday.  The BWO have given charity concerts, in conjunction with the Oadby and Wigston Lions Club at DMH over the last 16 years but this was one of the most memorable ever, with a carefully chosen programme reflecting the war years with melodies that were evidently very familiar to most of the audience.

It was one of the largest audiences for a BWO concert in recent years and they were expertly guided through the programme by Martin Ballard who had marshalled a remarkable range of facts about the pieces played, from music which accompanied actual wartime films, to much loved Eric Coates themes from BBC Radio and from more up to date films depicting the war. He also set the music into context with facts about how the war affected Leicester itself.

Vocal items came from David Morris and Jenny Saunders including We’ll Meet Again, and handkerchiefs emerged from pockets more than once. Lt Colonel (retd) Bryon Brotherton MBE was the solo piper in an arrangement of Amazing Grace and later returned to talk about the work of the chosen charity, the Army Benevolent Fund of which he is Chairman of the Leicestershire and Rutland Committee.

It would be difficult to pick out any one piece of music as a highlight, as there were far too many, but two memories of the occasion that will linger are the standing ovation by the whole audience for 100 year old RAF Veteran Philip Kendal (who once built a stage for a concert given by Vera Lynn!) and the sight of virtually every Mayor and other Dignitaries  in Leicester, Leicestershire and Ruland wearing their chains having a photograph in the interval reception.

The rousing and accomplished finale of Coates’ Dam Busters March sent a very happy audience on their way home. 

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New Horizons Season Finale A Triumph

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20th May 2025

A huge audience attended the final concert of the Bardi Orchestra’s 2024/25 ‘New Horizons’ De Montfort Hall season.

Audiences have been building substantially over the whole season, but this concert attracted over 1400, and we were worrying that some of our usual ‘late bookers’ might miss out! The concert was conducted by 27-year-old Tom Fetherstonhaugh, an assured and talented rising star who is already making a name for himself.

The concert began with a spirited performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto by Fenella Humphreys, the musical rapport between her and Tom, and the Orchestra, ensured that even at incredible speed not a foot (or a bow) went wrong. 

The whole of the second half was taken up with a performance of Holst’s The Planets such as has never been seen in DMH before. A huge orchestra was carefully shoehorned on to the stage, with a large percussion section and such rarities as a bass oboe and a bass flute. On each side of the stage several carefully selected images of each of the planets were projected accompanied by coloured lighting effects throughout the hall. The last movement of The Planets features a wordless off-stage chorus of upper voices, and we were delighted to be joined off-stage by singers from Leicestershire Chorale who faded away to silence at the end of the piece – a really magical moment before the audience erupted into loud applause. A memorable afternoon which will stay long in the memory of those who were there. 

The afternoon saw the launch of Bardi’s 2025/26 season for which tickets (with some generous subscription discounts) will be on sale at the end of this week, we look forward to seeing you all again next season!

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