Leader, H. S. Cropper
Directed by Louis COHEN
Relayed from
The Valley Gardens, Harrogate
Symphony Concerts were first instituted at Harrogate in 1899 and held at the Royal Spa Concert Rooms. In the following year Harrogate set an example to provincial music by giving a series of special concerts devoted to the music of British composers. Colderidge-Taylor, Parry, Mackenzie, Elgar, Sir Frederic Cowen , Sir Edward German , and Hamish MacCunn were all invited to conduct their own programmes.
The present century has seen Harrogate become an important provincial musical centre under the successive leadership of C. L. Naylor , Julian Clifford , Howard Carr , Basil Cameron (who is now conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra), and the present director, Louis Cohen.