The Haffner Orchestra was founded in 1976 and since then has grown in strength and numbers to a full symphony orchestra, rehearsing and performing in Lancaster.
The orchestra is made up of amateur and local professionals from across the north west. We perform 3 concerts a year, together with some one off performances in the community.
2026
20 June - Saint Saens
With 14 movements this is a masterpiece. Originally written in 1886, it is now recognised as inspiration for John Williams' scores and Harry Potter films. A concert for all the family and a great start to the summer holidays.
Our 2 Saint Saens pianists
We're really excited to welcome Tsukushi Mitsuda and Minsung Park, both from the Royal Northern College of Music, to perform at our June concert. More information on their backgrounds later but don't miss these accomplished young talents. Names above link to their Instragrams so be sure to take a look and follow!
20 June - Saint Saens
Preceded by the Lion, Movement 2 is the chicken, and following that the donkey. Who knows what was going on in Saint Saens mind when creating this modern masterpiece.
Volunteer
Our concerts are powered by volunteers. Even a small amount of time can help us tremendously.In addition we are interested in people to develop short videos and stories for instagram. It could even be a project for pre-university students wanting to enhance their CV.
Contact; haffnersec@haffnerorchestra.org
Past Events & INFO
14 March - La Traviata // PAST EVENT
Verdi's master piece. An audience of more than 450 people delighted in our concert performance of La Traviata at the Ashton Hall. haffner performed with 5 nationally regarded soloists as well as members of the Furness Choir to create an unforgettable evening.
Our Traviata soloists
A big shout out to Mattina Tsaroucha who to great acclaim, stepped in at the last minute to perform the role of Violetta, coming all the way from Athens where was rehearsing with the Greek National Opera. Other soloists did not have to come quite so far but were also excelent; Tim Nelson, Dominick Felix, Dani Sicari and Henry Page.
Concert Reviews
Haffner has been delighting audiences for nearly 50 years. We typically perform 3 concerts per year and are joined by highly regarded professional soloists. Find reviews for events from the digital age through the link here.
REVIEWS
Become a Patron
If you regularly attend our concerts we would love you to become a Patron. Put simply, the more Patrons we have the better the concerts we can put on. Just a small donation makes a huge difference. Find out more by clicking the link below.
Buy PATRON
FROM 2025
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29 November - Mahler & Strauss // PAST EVENT
We had a superb evening full of Mahler and Strauss, together with our soloist Clara Orif. A delightful preconcert Talk allowed us to get to know Clara. See review of the concert in past events.
Clara Orif : Our Mahler Soloist // PAST EVENT
Award-winning soprano Clara Orif joined us for our autumn concert. Currently a member of the Académie Musicale Philippe Jaroussky (Paris) Clara is an alumni of Royal Academy of Music Opera (London) and many other prestigious venues.
Help us enhance our audience
People are still coming to concerts for the first time and are delighted with what they hear. Spread the word to your friends and neighbours so they too can enjoy a wonderful concert close to home.
Join now
Become a Patron
If you regularly attend our concerts we would love you to become a Patron. Put simply, the more Patrons we have the better the concerts we can put on. Just a small donation makes a huge difference. Find out more by clicking the link below.
Buy PATRON
ABOUT US
Who We Are
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Buy Tickets
We typically perform three times a year.
Click the button below to buy tickets. Find out more about Patron opportunities elsewhere on this page.
Perform With Us
We are always interested in hearing from people who might like to play with us.
Even if there isn’t a vacancy straight away, it’s very useful to know of potential players so that if a regular player leaves, or is unavailable, we can make contact.
We generally look for players of Grade 8 standard or higher and we audition.
Upcoming Season Events
Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals; Mozart's Symphony no.41 'Jupiter'
7:30pm, Sat, 20 Jun 2026Pre concert talk at 6.30pm Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals Mozart: Symphony no. 41 'Jupiter' Conductor: Alex Robinson Leader: Julian Cann more
