The Hallé
Founded in Manchester by the pianist and conductor Charles Hallé in 1858, Britain’s longest established permanent professional symphony orchestra gave its first concert in the city’s Free Trade Hall on 30 January of that year. Following the death of Sir Charles Hallé, the orchestra continued to develop under the guidance of such distinguished figures as Hans Richter, Sir Hamilton Harty and Sir John Barbirolli.

Sir Mark Elder, who was knighted for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2008, became Music Director in 2000, since when the Hallé has received increasing acclaim both here and abroad. The Royal Philharmonic Society honoured Sir Mark with the Conductor of the Year Award in 2006 and, the previous year, the Hallé was presented with the Ensemble Award. The Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Northern College of Music were awarded the South Bank Show classical music award for ‘Shostakovich, His Heroes and Comrades’, a collaboration which marked the centenary of Shostakovich’s birth in a cycle of his symphonies and chamber music in 2006. This season the Hallé collaborates with the BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and The Bridgewater Hall in a complete cycle of Mahler’s symphonies.

In 1996, the Hallé moved to its new home, The Bridgewater Hall, where it presents over 70 concerts a year. Making over 40 appearances annually throughout the rest of Britain, the Hallé attracts large and enthusiastic audiences both in Manchester and beyond. Its reputation for artistic excellence and versatility has led to many international tours as well as frequent broadcasts and televised performances. At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, for the first time in its history, the Hallé appointed a Principal Guest Conductor, Cristian Mandeal. This season, he is followed in the post by Markus Stenz.

In 2003 the Hallé launched its own CD label of studio recordings – featuring, in particular, the music of Elgar, Richard Strauss, Colin Matthews, Debussy, Wagner, Nielsen and Shostakovich. The label re-launched with Sir Mark Elder’s interpretation of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius (a finalist in the Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2009) and the world premiere recordings of Colin Matthews’s Alphabicycle Order and Horn Concerto. The latest release, conducted by John Wilson, is a collection of orchestral works by John Ireland.

The Hallé's family of ensembles includes the Hallé Choir, which was founded alongside the orchestra in 1858, the Hallé Youth Choir led by Gregory Batsleer and the Hallé Children's Choir directed by Shirley Court, as well as the Hallé Youth Orchestra which is directed by the Hallé's Assistant Conductor, Ewa Strusinska. The Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra is the latest addition to the Hallé Family, which is directed by James Lowe.

Last season over a quarter of a million people heard the Hallé. More than 20,000 of these were young people inspired by the Hallé’s pioneering education programme which generates over 40 projects a year and exists to create a wider enjoyment and understanding of music throughout the whole community. The Hallé is a society and registered charity that exists to ensure the continued success and development of the orchestra and its family.

To find out more about the Hallé, buy CDs online, and for information on how to join the Hallé Choir, Youth Choir, Youth Orchestra or the Children’s Choir or for details of the work of Hallé Education, as well as how to support the Hallé Concerts Society, please browse around our website.