'˜Twilight' concert for Viva at Derby Cathedral

The series is a key element in the Cathedral’s two-year cultural audience development programme which has been supported with a £80,000 Arts Council England grant.

The first Twilights concert will be held on Wednesday, November 2, at 7.30pm under the baton of Viva’s principal conductor Duncan Ward.

The programme will feature Haydn’s Symphony No 22 – Philosopher, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.5 and Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings.

Tickets are available from www.vivaorch.co.uk, by telephone 0333 666 3366 or from the Derby LIVE box office.

Prices start from £10 non reserved seating for those aged under 26; to £25 premium tickets, which includes reserved seating, free interval drink, a complimentary concert programme and the opportunity to meet the Sinfonia Viva musicians.

Duncan Ward explained: “We are very excited about the ‘Twilights’ programme which is a key element of our partnership working with Derby Cathedral – one of Derby’s most historically significant and powerful spaces.

“Our aim is to keep high quality and professional classical music alive in the city and fill the gap left by the closure of the Assembly Rooms.

“This diversity of music over the coming months and the different timings of the concerts will hopefully appeal to a wider range of audiences and cement Derby Cathedral as the home of classical music in the city.

“The Twilights series will start with a full Chamber Orchestra and further concerts during the winter and spring months will feature our marvellous wind quintet and a high energy marriage of orchestra with percussion.

“November’s Classical Masters concert will feature some of the biggest names in the classical canon including the undeniable Mozart, Haydn and Dvorak which is sure to stir and rouse the senses.”

Derby Cathedral Chapter Steward Rachel Morris continued: “The Classical Music Development Programme is a key component in developing our wider arts and cultural offer.

“Our links with Viva have brought several concerts and have been instrumental in developing our wider offer to support the cathedral’s own vision in being one of Derby’s developing cultural venues.

“The continued closure of the Assembly Rooms and uncertainty of any future for a concert venue has resulted in the Cathedral being the only viable classical venue alternative – ensuring that audiences do not have to travel further afield to access professional work of this high quality.”

Photo of Duncan Ward is by Alan Fletcher