MUSIC lovers are eagerly anticipating the Haffner Orchestra's concert at Lancaster University next month, when local boy Justin Doyle will take the baton.

Justin succeeded Natalia Luis-Bassa as conductor last September, and his contribution has already attracted great acclaim, with reviewer Henry Prince writing: “In its new musical director, the orchestra has found someone who, himself standing on the shoulders of giants, has already begun to lift the orchestra to even greater heights."

The programme for Saturday, February 27's concert in the Great Hall will include Britten's Violin Concerto, and Symphony No 5 by Shostakovich. The soloist will be David Greed.

Justin was musical from a very early age and, aged seven, he was given a baton by his father, Gerard, the founder conductor of the Haffner Orchestra.

He was brought up in the Lancaster area, where his father was senior lecturer in music at the then St Martin's College. His mother, Shirley, is a well-known piano teacher who still lives in Brookhouse, just outside Lancaster.

"I developed a deep-rooted love of music at a very early age," said Justin, who was a chorister at Westminster Cathedral Choir School aged seven to 13.

He then attended Sedbergh School, and speaks highly of Nigel Horsfall, his cello teacher, and Christopher Tinker, who gave him conducting opportunities and encouragement.

As a young cellist he led the cello section in the Cumbria County Youth Orchestra, and won classes in Kendal's Mary Wakefield Festival, where he recently returned as an adjudicator.

After school came King’s College, Cambridge, where he went as a choral scholar, conducting the university orchestra and singing in the Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

After university Justin began conducting choirs and orchestras in and around London, including the BBC Singers, who awarded him their first ever Conductor Fellowship.

A big spur came to his career in 2006 when he came second out of 180 entrants in the Cadaquéz International Conducting Competition. "I didn’t see that coming," he said.

Opera North has recently been a major employer, and Justin has conducted operas by Mozart, Britten, and Verdi for them, as well as the new opera by Jonathan Dove which opened in Covent Garden in 2015. He enjoys the drama, and narrative, in music. “I love opera, choral works and orchestral music equally."

Justin has a busy schedule of guest-conducting engagements with orchestras such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Johannesburg Philharmonic and choirs such as the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin.

Justin lives with his young family in Skipton and he loves the countryside, lakes and hills and walking the 'Wainwrights', when time allows.

The 2016-17 season will be the Haffner's 40th anniversary, and preparations for special events have begun.

“The Haffner is a great orchestra," Justin explained. "It gets better from year to year. It’s interesting to watch how it’s developed and changed, and to see its developing role in the North West.

"It’s great that people can come to hear a good, live orchestra in this part of the world, and I’m pleased to be part of its future. Quite a lot of young players are joining the orchestra. I’m thrilled that audience numbers are so good - the more who know about us, the more come.”

Tickets from www.haffnerorchestra.org or call 01524-582394.