The Festival Academy Orchestra
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Sat 23rd May
7:00 pm
St James Church
Doors open at 6.15pm
The performance will end at approx. 8.45pm
Thomas Hull - conductor
Ruth Rogers - leader
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B♭ major, op. 83
SCHUBERT: Symphony no.9 in C major, D.944 "The Great”.
Tickets £50 | £45 | £40 | £35 | £10
Students £1 (with adult ticket)
2026 Box Office Opening Dates
Ticket sales will go live online at 10am here on:
27th January for Festival Patrons
3rd February for Festival Gold Friends
10th February for Festival Silver Friends
16th February for General Season Tickets (please contact us)
17th February for General Bookings
The Festival Orchestra brings the curtain down on the 2026 Festival with two magnificent cornerstones of the Romantic era. Brahms' huge 2nd piano concerto represents the culmination of everything that Brahms had learned as a lifelong connoisseur of pianistic technique, and Schubert's beautiful last symphony, the "Great" C major is confident, outgoing, discursive and expansive in nature.
‘The grand romantic manner comes easily to Hamelin. Modern discipline, too, and his combination of finger power, firm engineering, caressing gentleness and playful wit makes him a natural for Brahms's second piano concerto’ (The Times)