THE Lakeland Sinfonia Concert Society, which has been bringing orchestral music to Kendal for 56 years, is extending its reach into Lakeland communities with a new series of Live & Local concerts.

The first of these will be hosted by the Old Laundry Theatre at Bowness-on-Windermere at 1.00pm on Wednesday, 22 November.

“We are keen to attract new audiences to classical music,” said Lakeland Sinfonia trustee and Bowness resident, Sarah Watson. “We very much hope that these informal lunchtime concerts will be an accessible option that should ultimately encourage people to try one of our main season orchestral concerts in Kendal too.”

This first Live & Local concert features two Cumbria-based musicians who play regularly with Lakeland Sinfonia: Christine Lorriman (flute) and AnnaKate Pearson (harp). The programme has a selection of classical pieces including: Schubert’s Serenade; Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers Duet and Entr’acte from Carmen and Fauré’s Sicilienne from Péleas et Mélisande.

Tickets are on sale online for £10 from www.lakelandsinfonia.org.uk or from the Old Laundry Theatre on the day.

Society chairman Charles Fox said: "We're reaching out to communities across Lakeland with out informal events and want to make as many people as possible aware of the joy of experiencing live classical music."