Leighton has extensive teaching experience from early years to postgraduate level music. Currently he works as a primary music specialist, visiting instrumental teacher and examiner. As a pianist, he was inspired to play after hearing Moura Lympany at a young age and has a large collection of her recordings. Leighton’s postgraduate studies focussed on his interest in 20th-century English orchestral music, with particular study of Britten, Rawsthorne, Walton and Vaughan Williams. A keen choral singer he has developed a comprehensive knowledge of chiefly British choral music.
Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall swells to the music of Stravinsky, Brahms and Beethoven as the BBC Philharmonic explores different perspectives on Classical forms.
Elgar, Szymanowski and Vaughan Williams may not be obvious concert companions, but with remarkable music-making these three sit beautifully together to make a special evening.
Domingo Hindoyan and Javier Perianes bring a Mediterranean themed evening to Liverpool on an autumnal evening. The Spanish sunshine shining on Philharmonic Hall was occasionally obscured by clouds.
Bringing a programme of music from their homeland and works with resonance to the people of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra make a strong impression.
From the streets of New York to America’s southern states, Daniele Rustioni with the Ulster Orchestra present an all American evening, with some fine playing.
Billed as “A Postcard from Italy”, Daniele Rustioni’s innovative vision sees a programme focused on a generation of 20th-century Italian composers, with formidable results.
In a rather mixed and unconventional programme, Roderick Williams and Amarins Wierdsman provide the highlights of a programme of variable success in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall.
Domingo Hindoyan continues to bring French orchestral rarities, and conducts a Russian symphony in a Sunday matinee to a highly receptive Liverpool audience.
Two highly complementary works by Strauss and Mahler bring a satisfying evening of beautifully executed music-making between the Ulster Orchestra and their chief conductor.
Inon Barnatan performs Mozart’s C minor piano concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, while Joshua Weilerstein impresses with his musical insights into Dvořák's Seventh Symphony.
In a programme of Lyadov, Korngold and Rachmaninov, the Ulster Orchestra’s Chief Conductor brings an evening of music that wouldn’t sound out of place on the silver screen.
In an unusual programme, with Finnish music from Rautavaara and Sibelius, separated by Walton, the Ulster Orchestra and Anu Tali find all the subtleties in the music.
