Featured

23rd February 2026

The Bardi Symphony Orchestra hosted its annual Workshop on Saturday 21st  February, an event that has become a significant highlight in their calendar.  

The idea of the Workshop Day is to allow players to rehearse a challenging work that the Orchestra has not done before and conclude with an exciting complete run through of the chosen work at the end to which friends and family are invited. The workshop was held in Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road in Leicester, a familiar venue to the Bardi where the staff are most helpful.

The Orchestra was conducted by Jack Lovell-Huckle, a young assistant conductor from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and players enjoyed a very rewarding day addressing the challenges (many!) in Korngold’s Symphony in F sharp.  

Another important feature of Workshop days is that it presents an opportunity for players to enjoy time together outside the constraints of busy concert rehearsals.  A generous sandwich lunch was provided in the hall before returning to more rehearsal and the playthrough at the end of the day. 

Instruments packed away, players had an opportunity to revisit some video highlights of the Orchestra’s recent concerts and relax with a glass of fizz before tucking into a delicious early evening meal.  

Jack Lovell-Huckle said ‘Today was something rather special. For an orchestra to be brave enough to tackle this symphony in just a day is remarkable, and what makes it even more remarkable is just how brilliant they all were. The energy was phenomenal, the playing was brilliant, and the organisation of the day was second to none. The Bardi Symphony Orchestra should be very proud of all their work today, it was pleasure to work with them, and I hope to work with them again soon’ 

---

2nd December 2025

Large numbers of bookings for the Bardi Dvořák New World Symphony concert on Sunday 30^th November gave rise to mounting excitement that the afternoon was going to be something special.  

Conductor José Salazar was appearing for the first time in Leicester and conducting the Bardi for the first time too.  During rehearsals, he had already established himself as a firm favourite with the players. The concert was an eclectic mix of the very familiar, including the New World Symphony and the Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland which was played with great panache by the brass of the Orchestra.

Also included was the suite from Copland’s ballet Appalachian Spring Suite which included the famous ‘Simple Gifts’ Shaker melody (Lord of the Dance) and a real showstopper by the less well-known (to the Leicester audience at least) Danzon No.2 by Arturo Marquez. This premiered in 1994 with catchy infectious rhythms that soon had the audience tapping their feet and giving warm applause to the Orchestra.  This piece was played by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel on a European tour at the BBC Proms in 2007 and has gained a new level of popularity.  Who better to conduct it than José who grew up in the famous El Sistema system, has served as an assistant to Dudamel and Christian Vasquez and has now worked internationally as a guest conductor.

José introduced the programme at the beginning of each half which was greeted with warm applause. The end of the concert saw loud appreciation and three curtain calls, with much enthusiastic chat in the foyers from the departing audience.

---

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. 

---

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!

---