BELFAST-born Sinead Hayes picks up the baton as guest conductor for the final concert in the Westmorland Orchestra’s 70th season.

Sinead achieved a first class degree in structural engineering, before entering the musical profession and her career is developing fast.

In February, she was one of five young female conductors invited to participate in a master class with Marin Alsop as part of the South Bank Centre’s Women of the World Festival. At present, while obtaining conducting experience all over Europe, she is working on a performance series highlighting the innovative work of contemporary Irish composers. No surprise then, that the tuneful Irish Symphony by Irish-born Hamilton Harty - who conducted the Hallé orchestra in the early 20th Century - figures in the second half of the Westmorland Orchestra's concert on Saturday, May 16 (7.30pm) at Kendal Leisure Centre's Westmorland Hall.

The concert promises to sign off the Westmorland's celebratory season in grand style with a international mix of music, opening with Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet.

Before the interval there will be another Irish ingredient in the mix: the soloist in one of Mozart’s most beautiful piano concertos (K488 in A major) will be Michael Mchale, like Sinead also born in Belfast, and one of Ireland’s leading pianists. He has developed a busy international career, performing across the world with leading orchestras, and his first solo album The Irish Piano.

His interest in music began at the age of seven when he started learning the piano, soon followed by cello lessons at the City of Belfast School of Music. A varied education took Michael from Belfast to Dublin, Cambridge and ultimately London.

His performing career encompasses solo recital, concerto and chamber music appearances and he enjoys playing both core and contemporary repertoire.

His debut solo album The Irish Piano was released in 2012 on the RTÉ lyric fm label and was selected as CD of the Week by critic Norman Lebrecht, who described it as “a scintillating recital, fascinating from start to stop."

Michael has performed many times as concerto soloist with the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony and Moscow Symphony orchestras, the Teatro Colon Orchestra, Discovery Ensemble in Boston, the London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras in repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin and Rachmaninov.

Following the interval, the audience will hear three of Grieg’s tuneful Norwegian Dances before being treated to Harty’s Irish Symphony, full of Irish melodies and fiddles.

Tickets for the concert are available at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre on 01539-725133, from orchestra members, and at the door.