New season of dates announced for Morecambe light music orchestra

A light music orchestra based in Morecambe has announced its 20th season of concerts in the town.

The Promenade Concert Orchestra, made up of professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians from the local area, will perform a number of varied programmes across its 2026/27 season at the Platform.

The UK’s only full-size orchestra dedicated to light music by the seaside is celebrating 20 seasons of live music in Morecambe - and its founder is inviting the town to fill The Platform to mark the occasion.

PCO opens its 20th anniversary season on Sunday November 22, with Your 100 Best Tunes: an afternoon of the melodies made famous by the much-loved radio programme of the same name, which ran for 44 years and asked listeners to vote for their favourite pieces. Soprano Rowena Thornton makes a welcome return as guest soloist.

The orchestra was founded in 2007 by conductor Howard Rogerson, a former principal clarinettist of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Orchestra who spent more than twenty years as sub-principal clarinet with Opera North.

For Howard, the programme is a personal one. Recalling the radio show’s presenter, Alan Keith, he said: “In 2007 we set out to bring a full orchestra back to the seaside, playing the kind of music people fell in love with on the wireless.

‘’You don’t need to know anything about classical music to enjoy it , you already know these tunes. The best birthday present Morecambe could give us is a full house.”

Audiences can expect favourites such as: Rossini, Gounod, Beecham and Dvorak.

The orchestra’s President, the broadcaster and founding King’s Singer Brian Kay, has long championed PCO and the music it plays.

Marking the orchestra’s first decade, he said: “Major milestones are always worth celebrating and to have completed nearly two decades of outstanding concerts is a massive feather-in-the-cap for Howard and the orchestra.”

Morecambe Town Council has supported the orchestra’s concerts. The PCO remains the only orchestra in the country dedicated specifically to preserving live performance of Palm Court music and it's right here on your doorstep in Morecambe.

The 20th anniversary season continues in 2027 with concerts in January, March and May – the New Year Viennese Concert, Music from the Palm Court and Popular Music from the Opera.

Head to www.promenadeconcertorchestra.org.uk for more.