Symphony Orchestra
Rehearsals take place every Thursday between 07:15 pm – 09:30 pm at the Clothworker’s Centenary Concert Hall (term time only).
For any queries, reach out to us at luums.symphony@gmail.com.
About Symphony Orchestra
LUUMS Symphony Orchestra is an auditioned ensemble and one of the largest in LUUMS, with around 70 string, brass, woodwind and percussion players who have all auditioned for their place in the orchestra. Symph likes to take on challenging but fun repertoire every year such as Holst’s Planets Suite, Gliere’s 2nd Symphony and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Suite. For the upcoming year, we have a lot of exciting rep planned like Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Dvorak’s 8th Symphony and Rachmaninov’s 2nd Symphony.
We also love and encourage our talented musicians to get involved. Each year, Symph hosts the concerto competition for all members of LUUMS to compete for the chance to perform their chosen concerto with our orchestra. Whilst the ensemble works extremely hard to perform at a high standard, we also enjoy a lively social calendar with our weekly post-rehearsal pub trips on Thursdays as well as a number of fun, inclusive activities and fundraisers that allow the team and the orchestra to get to know each other better outside of a rehearsal setting. Symph performs three hugely popular concerts per year, one in each term, and also goes on tour with LUUMS’ other auditioned orchestras: String Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Every year, we get to share our music with places such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland. Therefore, Symph is an amazing opportunity for Leeds-based musicians to mingle and play fun, challenging repertoire and Nathaniel, Anya, Claudia and Sarah are excited to share their love for symphonic music with everyone joining Symph in the upcoming year.
Meet the Symph team
Conductor
Nathaniel Dingle
Nathaniel Dingle is the conductor of Symphony Orchestra and is excited to get going with rehearsals for a great year of music and memories! He is a 3rd year mechanical engineering student as well as a horn player in many of the LUUMS ensembles.
This year, the orchestra will be be exploring a range of repertoire, including symphonies, concerti and programmatic overtures. Outside of rehearsals, Nathaniel can be found playing cricket, procrastinating in the foyer, and at old bar for the weekly post rehearsal drinks.
He can’t wait to meet all the new players in auditions week and hopes to see you there!
Managers
Anya Landbeck
Anya is a 3rd year Global Creative Industries student from Bristol. She has played the french horn and piano since she was 7, and has been in many ensembles throughout her life, including local, regional, and national orchestras.
Anya joined LUUMS in her first year and has been a member of Symphony Orchestra and SWO across the duration of her time at university so far. In second year, she was principal french horn in both ensembles. She is looking forward to the year ahead as Symph manager and meeting all the new faces alongside familiar friends.
Sarah Hobson
Sarah is a third-year Music student from Devon who specialises in the clarinet and bass clarinet. She has performed with a range of ensembles across Devon, including Tiverton Concert Band, and particularly enjoys playing classical repertoire and wind band music.
She is thrilled to be one of the new Symphony Orchestra managers and can’t wait to meet everyone during auditions week. In her role, Sarah is excited to promote the Symph social media in new ways, to organise inclusive socials and to help plan tour with the SWO and Strings team!
Since joining the University of Leeds, Sarah has been involved in a variety of LUUMS ensembles, which she credits with helping her settle into university life and meet new people. She also had the opportunity to conduct Sinfonia with her co-conductor, Nathaniel, in her second year, where some of her favourite pieces to conduct were selections from How to Train Your Dragon, the Barber of Seville Overture, and L’Arlésienne.
Outside of music, Sarah enjoys reading, painting, and exploring new places with her friends. She also enjoys working as a Student Ambassador for the University and volunteering in schools as a helper. A fun fact about Sarah is that she once had four golden retrievers and two cats all at once.
Claudia Savage
Claudia is a second year BA Music student from Shrewsbury. She has always been involved in music, playing the violin for 12 years and teaching herself guitar. She has played in many ensembles since the age of 7, including local orchestras and a World Folk ensemble where she was the lead fiddle.
Claudia has a passion for Celtic folk music and has enjoyed integrating this into her degree and her own compositions.
She has loved being a member of the LUUMS community, playing in String orchestra and Symphony orchestra. She is consequently looking forward to ensuring that the orchestra is enjoyable and accessible to everyone this upcoming year so that new members have the same amazing experience she had! She is excited to work with the 2026/27 team to organise some fun socials, design posters and organise tour, with the previous Edinburg tour being a highlight of her year.
Outside of music, Claudia loves hiking, having grown up exploring the Shropshire hills, and is also a tap dancer!
