Alina Orchestra, with soloists and two regional choirs, performs Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Hilary Davan Wetton's farewell concert as the orchestra's music director.
Hilary Davan Wetton is stepping down as music director of the Alina Orchestra, and he's going out with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Milton Keynes Theatre on Sunday 14 March 2027. It's a big way to say goodbye: the Ninth is one of those pieces that needs a proper crowd to work, and this one pulls in a full orchestra, two regional choirs โ the Danesborough Chorus and MK Chorale โ and four professional soloists: soprano Rachel Nicholls, mezzo-soprano Diana Moore, tenor Peter Hoare and bass Benjamin Bevan. The choral finale is the reason for all that, and it's the part most people know.
Wetton has led the Alina Orchestra since it formed in 2017, so he's been at the helm for nearly a decade. He's 83 now and will be stepping down at the end of the 2026/27 season, and the orchestra has billed it as the end of an era โ they've spent those years shaped by his artistry, warmth and leadership. It's a fair way to put it, given he's been there from the start.
This concert is the finale of a season that's kept a broad reach, mixing the big orchestral repertoire with the orchestra's more informal, engaging style. Along the way they've worked through Mozart, Beethoven, Dvoลรกk, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Grieg and Stenhammar, with a string of guest soloists coming through. The Ninth is a fitting place to land, especially as a farewell.
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Beyond the Alina Orchestra, Wetton's name will ring a bell if you've followed the local scene over the years โ he's worked with The Milton Keynes Symphony and the boys of Tonbridge School, and there's a Hyperion recording of Joachim Raff symphonies under his baton. The concert is at Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, MK9 3NZ, starting at 19:30.
