Scarborough Symphony Orchestra - Queen Street Methodist Church

Scarborough Symphony Orchestra opens its new season with a richly varied programme combining English pastoral music, quiet reflection, American symphonic traditions and the excitement of a world première.

The concert begins with George Butterworth’s evocative ‘A Shropshire Lad’ Rhapsody, inspired by A. E. Housman’s celebrated poetry collection. Written before the First World War, the work later became associated with the tragedy of the conflict following Butterworth’s death on the Somme at just 31.

Gerald Finzi’s The Fall of the Leaf (Elegy) evokes the beauty of the English countryside, combining warmth and serenity with understated melancholy. Left incomplete at Finzi’s death and completed by Howard Ferguson, it remains one of his most intimate orchestral works.

The orchestra proudly presents the world première of Ascension, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by David C. Heath. Musical Director Shaun Matthew says: “The world première of Ascension, performed by the remarkable Wissam Boustany, is a particularly exciting moment for the orchestra. It is a privilege to introduce a new work to audiences in Scarborough and we look forward to sharing the energy, imagination and virtuosity of this wonderful concerto.”

The concert concludes with Florence Price’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 3, blending African American musical traditions with bold twentieth-century orchestral writing.