THIRTY five years and still going strong, that’s the message from one of the region’s leading music societies - Lakeland Sinfonia.

Year-on-year the concert society stages its top quality series of nine performances at Kendal’s Westmorland Hall.

Six are subscription concerts - although tickets are available - plus three real sought after creme de la creme shows: the Halle and BBC Philharmonic, and the Christmas charity concert, which Tim Keegan, one of the driving forces behind the society, said was always a huge success: “This year, the 28th concert, we hope to break the total of £100,000 raised so far for local good causes.”

The new season opens in fine style on Saturday, September 26 (7.30pm) with the homegrown Lakeland Sinfonia conducted by Ian Brown.

In the soloist spotlight will be Min-Jin Kym performing the ever popular Violin Concerto No 1 by Bruch, booked marked by Reznicek’s overture Donna Diana and Beethoven’s mighty Eroica symphony.

Musical director Thomas Zehetmair takes to the podium on October 10 to conduct the Northern Sinfonia alongside soprano soloist Jane Irwin.

The programme celebrates two composer anniversaries.

Two hundred years since Haydn’s death, the audience will be treated to his 101st symphony The Clock.

Meanwhile, Jane - who was educated at Lancaster University and the Royal Northern College of Music before embarking on her international career - will be singing Gustav Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder, 150 years since the Bohemia-born musican died.

As usual the first half of the series concludes with the Christmas cracker - the highly regarded charity concert, on December 19.

The seasonal spectacle includes the excellent Ulverston Choral Society, conducted by Heather Paynes, and Suzanne de Lozey’s outstanding Flutes and Co, not to mention a programme of light operas and festive favourites courtesy of the Lakeland Sinfonia under the baton of charismatic maestro Wyn Davies. The show also stars tenor Mark Le Brocq. This year’s beneficiaries will be Age Concern South Lakeland and Sandgate School.

Highlights of the 2010 section of the series will be performances by the wonderful orchestras of the Halle (February 27), with assistant conductor Ewa Strusinska, and technically brilliant pianist Hong Xu, and the BBC Philharmonic, which plays the Westmorland Hall on April 17, joined by one of the finest cellists performing on the international stage - Raphael Wallfisch.

Altogether, a real sizzling sinfonia season of classical music.

For ticket details and a concert brochure telephone 01539-722533.