Amadeus/ White Lotus star Will Sharpe, wearing one of our Mozart, Made in Manchester hats, wasn’t on our bingo card… but we’ll definitely take it.

Huge love to our good friends and partners at Classic FM for making this happen. You can watch the whole interview in the YouTube video embedded on this page!

In aid of our musicians and staff running the Manchester 10k we’ve made a limited edition Just Play It.^TM T-shirt.

We’re known for our cross-genre collaborations here at Manchester Camerata, and this T-shirt takes <eh-hem> influence from a well-known sports brand on the front, with a list of some of the composers we have played on the back.

We have a few of these to give away. Any donation over £20 will be entered into a raffle to win one of these T-shirts.

Do something amazing and support the incredible impact our musicians make both on and off the stage by donating here today.

Make a donation >

“This kind of chemistry doesn’t happen by accident. My hunch is that there’s a connection between the electricity on stage and that observed backstage. This is the Manchester Camerata.” Jon Jacob, Thoroughly Good

Earlier this month, we were fortunate enough to play host to Jon Jacob, who runs the wonderful Thoroughly Good blog. Jon was up to review our Mozart, Made in Manchester concert, but he also ended up writing about our organisation as a whole.

We often have kind words of praise about the exceptional quality of our players, but it’s not very often that our back office is in the limelight.

Click here to read Jon's review >

Last Night, the Association of British Orchestras gave us an award for the Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship.

Here is what the ABO had to say: “Specifically designed for musicians based in the North, the fellowship aims to equip future musicians with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to launch their careers and thrive. The Fellowship gives musicians experience in all aspects of our work and the impact it makes – from Camerata’s award-winning dementia work to their boundary-pushing performances. In today’s climate, framed by the cost-of-living crisis and pressures on government budgets, a career in music might seem like a daunting or uncertain path. The recipients of this ABO Annual Award have worked to mitigate these uncertainties and keep the talent pipeline flowing and open to everyone.” 

 A huge thank you to The Ruth Sutton Trust for Music for their incredible support for this project. We simply couldn’t have done this without you.

To find out more about the Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship click here.

To support more of the impact projects like this make, consider making a donation by clicking here.

Manchester Camerata appoints Nic Hailey as Chair of its Board

Today [21 Jan] we have announced the appointment of Nic Hailey as the new Chair of our board. Nic is the Executive Director of International Alert – a charity that helps people affected by conflict. Prior to that, he spent 24 years in the UK Diplomatic Service, most recently as Director-General, Transformation, at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has used his senior positions and vast experience to campaign for international peace.

Nic currently chairs the Board of Trustees of the Waldorf Learning Foundation, a charity that supports teacher training and school provision. He brings a wealth of expertise, knowledge and passion to our pioneering orchestra as we continue to pursue our vision as a charity, transforming lives through exceptional music.

Bob Riley, Chief Executive of Manchester Camerata, said:

“Thanks to the guidance and hard work of our outgoing chair Stephen Dauncey, the board, and the whole team at Camerata, our organisation is in a fantastic position. However, with an everchanging cultural landscape and societal pressures, there are great challenges for our sector ahead. This is an incredibly exciting time for us here and we cannot wait to get started with our new chair, Nic, who brings a breadth of experience and knowledge to the team with a palpable passion for our vision to transform everyone’s lives through exceptional music.”

Nic Hailey, Chair of the Board, said:

“I have always been passionate about the transformative and connecting nature of music -music for change – and that is what Manchester Camerata’s work is all about. I look forward to working with everyone at Camerata to champion and support that vital mission in the years ahead.“

Steve Dauncey, Manchester Camerata’s outgoing chair said:

“I am so proud of all that has been achieved by everyone during my tenure as Chair at Manchester Camerata. To see the organisation making such great impact on the communities we serve (both on and off the stage) is an honour. I have enjoyed my time immensely, it has been incredibly fun, and I look forward to watching further growth under Nic’s stewardship.”

We are so excited to have Nic joining us and can’t wait to get going with him.

Manchester Camerata worked with the executive search firm, GatenbySanderson, for the recruitment of this role.

Click here to see our current Board of Trustees >

We are Classic FM’s Album of the Week!

“Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, as you’ve never heard it before… 🎶”

As you know, we have been busy recording and performing Vivaldi’s virtuosic masterpiece ‘The Four Seasons’ –alongside original poetry by Sir Michael Morpurgo, one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors, to invite generations of young people into the world of classical music.

Our Album, which released on 17 Jan, has been named Classic FM’s Album of the week!

Go and give it a listen. We also thank everyone who came to see us perform four sold-out concerts at King’s Place (London) and The Monastery (Manchester) this weekend.

Listen to the album >

OUT NOW on all streaming services: The Four Seasons with Daniel Pioro and Sir Michael Morpurgo.

We are beyond grateful to Daniel for creating this with us and being part of the journey of making your ideas and dreams a reality.

Our Artistic Partner, Daniel Pioro, paints dream-like worlds in which to inhabit within his work, bringing to life the familiar sounds and atmospheres of our world and nature, shifting and changing as time passes.

Listen to the album >

What a great way to finish 2024! Back in May, we were fortunate enough to host Fiona Maddocks from The Observer at our Disruptors concert with Ethan David Loch.

The concert saw us performing Beethoven’s Symphony No.8 as well as his Piano Concerto No.1 alongside a brand new piece by Manchester composer Carmel Smickersgill & also new work from young people at our local HideOut Youth Zone.

The concert must have made quite an impression on Fiona as she has kindly put it in her top 10 ‘best concerts and operas of 2024’. Thank you, Fiona!

You can read the whole article via the link below.

Visit The Observer >

We invited BBC Radio 4 into our rehearsal rooms as we prepared for our Storytime concert back in June. The finished product will be broadcast on Christmas Day!

The team were interested in how we got everything together to perform Prokofiev’s classic Peter and the Wolf. They interviewed our leader, Caroline Pether, Ben Hudson, our Principal Basson (who has the part of The Grandfather), Pete Mainwaring (trumpet), as well as our Narrator, Josey D’arby, and a host of others.

The radio documentary will be broadcast 9:30am on Christmas day, and you can listen back after via the link below.

Listen here >