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The Hull Philharmonic Orchestra is recognised as one of the nation's leading amateur symphony orchestras and has been a major feature in the city's cultural landscape for over 130 years.

Performing a regular season of three concerts in Hull's magnificent City Hall, we boast a history of renowned conductors, including national figures such as Sir Henry Wood, founder of the Proms. The orchestra continued to expand and develop during the musical direction of Andrew Penny who retired in 2022 after 40 years at the helm. Under his leadership, the orchestra successfully tackled some of the most challenging works of the orchestral repertoire.
The story started on June 1881 when a small group of dedicated music lovers gathered at the George Hotel in Hull and proposed the formation of an orchestral music society. With just 27 players, a devoted committee and loyal patrons, the Hull Philharmonic Society was born.

Today the orchestra has more than 80 members drawn from local professional and amateur musicians, and enjoys a broad and loyal audience base. In 1989 we were granted charitable status.

The repertoire

Something old, something new, something challenging

The HPO concerts offer players and audiences the chance to revisit well-known works alongside an expanding repertoire of more adventurous pieces.

Some of our most memorable concerts include Mahler's massive Symphony No.8 - which involved more than 600 musicians and singers and was rewarded with wide critical acclaim, the first ever performance in Hull of Stravinsky's notoriously difficult ballet music, The Rite of Spring, as well as contemporary pieces such as John Adam's Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and The Chairman Dances from his opera Nixon in China.