The Manchester Mid-Day Concerts Society is a musical society and a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

which arranges annual programmes of lunchtime concerts held at the

Bridgewater Hall The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

History

During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Committee for Music in Wartime, founded the Concert Series for the purpose of promoting the advancement of music in

: encouraging those musicians whose livelihoods had suffered as a result of the War and boosting morale in local military hospitals. The Inaugural Concert - on 9 November 1915 - was held at the Houldsworth Hall (Church House,

Deansgate Deansgate is a main road (part of the A56) through Manchester City Centre, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mil ...

). Continuing success ensured that the Concert Series continued after the War, and were later organised by the ''Tuesday Mid-Day Concerts Society'' (from 1922) to provide very high standard music (at low admission price) and to foster talented young musicians (selected at the Society’s annual auditions). It became a

in 1964. The Society’s Music Directors have included the Manchester-born pianist Edward Isaacs (1923–53) and violinist Laurence Turner (from 1953) amongst many others. Over the years, Concerts have been held at various locations, such as Manchester’s Houldsworth Hall,

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genre ...

and

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Exc ...

Lunchtime Concerts

The Society organises a diverse programme of Concerts and, during its history, has programmed more than 2500 performances. In its Centenary Year (2015), the Society welcomed the World Premiere of

Edward Gregson Edward Gregson (born 23 July 1945) is an English composer of instrumental and choral music, particularly for brass and wind bands and ensembles, as well as music for the theatre, film, and television. He was also principal of the Royal Northern ...

’s String Quartet and performances by

Jennifer Pike Jennifer Elizabeth Pike (born 9 November 1989) is a British violinist. Early years and education Pike began playing the violin at the age of five, and after auditioning at the age of eight she gained a place at Chetham's School of Music in Ma ...

, Mi Luna,

Craig Ogden Craig Ogden is an Australian classical guitarist whose albums have topped the UK classical charts. He is Principal Lecturer in Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK. Ogden began playing guitar at the age of seven, an ...

, The Navarra Quartet and Peter Donohoe. Recent performers have included

Sheku Kanneh-Mason Sheku Kanneh-Mason (born 4 April 1999) is a British cellist who won the 2016 BBC Young Musician award. He was the first black musician to win the competition since its launch in 1978. He played at the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle ...

Jess Gillam Jess Gillam (born 24 May 1998) is a British saxophonist and BBC radio broadcaster from Ulverston, Cumbria. Gillam hosts ''This Classical Life'' on BBC Radio 3. Education Gillam attended the Junior Royal Northern College of Music while at sec ...

, Hee-Young Lim, Dominic Degavino, Nathalia Milstein, Florian Mitrea, Jack McNeill, Giovanni Guzzo, Riyad Nicolas, Simon Parkin, Alexey Pudinov, Emily Nebel, Richard Uttley, Luke Jones, Leif Kaner-Lidstrom, Mats Lidstrom and Salih Can Gevrek. Recent ensembles have included the Manchester Chamber Choir, Aurora Percussion Duo, Klezmer-ish, Trio Zadig, Apollo Saxophone Quartet,

Gildas Quartet The Gildas Quartet is a British string quartet. History The Gildas Quartet formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2011. They have studied with Oliver Wille, Robin Ireland, and Catherine Manson, and have also benefited from masterclasse ...

, K’antu Ensemble, Duo Bauhinia, Maraca2, Clouds Harps Quartet, and Souza Winds.

Annual Auditions

Auditions for emerging musicians from across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and overseas are held in Manchester every year.

External links

Notes and references

{{Authority control Arts organizations established in 1915 Charities based in Manchester Musical groups established in 1915 Musical groups from Manchester 1915 establishments in England Clubs and societies in Greater Manchester