Brighton Dome and Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra cement partnership with new residency

Founded in 1925, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra first performed on the Concert Hall stage in 1928. Since then, the orchestra has become a familiar and much-loved part of the venue’s musical life, returning across generations to help shape Brighton Dome’s cultural identity.

Over the course of its history, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra has shared the stage with some of the most influential musicians and composers of the last century, including Myra Hess, Rachmaninoff, Yehudi Menuhin, Simon Rattle and Evelyn Glennie.

Its history of musical leadership is equally distinguished. Sir Thomas Beecham became the orchestra’s first President in 1932, followed in the role by composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.

The orchestra has also long championed new and contemporary music. In 1946, Francis Poulenc performed his own concertante at Brighton Dome, while more recent seasons have featured work by composers including James MacMillan and Gwilym Simcock. The tradition continues this season with the forthcoming premiere of a new work by Eric Vloeimans.

Our remarkable musical heritage includes some of the biggest names in music, such as opera superstar Adelina Patti, who performed in the Concert Hall several times around the turn of the twentieth century and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who premiered two of his works on its stage.

Each year, Brighton Dome also welcomes concert programmes from London Philharmonic Orchestra. Coming up over the autumn season is Dvořák’s Cello Concerto played by cellist Kian Soltani (3 Oct) and a celebration of 20th century American classical music headed by violinist Elena Urioste (7 Nov). Sunday morning Coffee Concerts also return to the recently refurbished Corn Exchange, featuring performances from Gildas Quartet and next year, Joanna MacGregor and Principal Players from Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, with free tickets for ages 8–25. 

Partnering with Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra as Resident Orchestra reflects our ongoing commitment to championing regional artists. We look forward to many more years of collaboration together.