We are thrilled to invite you along to our new season of unforgettable performances with the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra!
Step into a world where dramatic storytelling and orchestral brilliance collide with a concert that brings together three orchestral masterpieces filled with drama, wit, and raw emotion.
Samuel Barber – The School for Scandal
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No 1
Sergei Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances
The concert opens with with sparkling, fast-paced theatrical energy as the orchestra performs Samuel Barber’s very first symphonic work – the brilliant and witty overture The School for Scandal.
Next, hear the astonishing genius of a teenage Dmitri Shostakovich in his groundbreaking Symphony No. 1. Written as a graduation requirement from the Leningrad Conservatory when he was just 19 years old, the piece is bursting with youthful sarcasm and bold colours.
Finally, the concert culminates in Sergei Rachmaninov's monumental Symphonic Dances. As the composer's final masterwork, it is filled with nostalgic energy, powerful rhythms, and a dramatic farewell to the stage.
Experience this breathtaking journey through the defining bookends of orchestral history – a concert of real firsts and lasts!
Eligibility for Concessions
Concessions apply for those aged 65 and over, in receipt of unemployment benefit, with a disability, or full-time students (i.e. from other universities with a valid TOTUM/ UNiDAYS/ Student Beans or institutional membership ID).
Separate ticket types are available at a discounted rate for children (under 18), University of Hertfordshire alumni and current UH Staff members. UH Students and Carers can book free tickets.
Please bring along your relevant concession ID to provide proof of eligibility on entry. If you do not have the right to a concessionary rate, you will be asked to pay the difference on a full price ticket.
Booking UH Student Tickets
Free tickets are available for all current UH Students. Seats can be booked in the upper (black) tier only for this concert.
If seats in the upper tier are sold out and there are still seats available elsewhere, please email uharts@herts.ac.uk for assistance.
Please bring your UH member ID card to the Box Office on the day of the concert to collect your tickets.
Discounts
For group bookings of 10 tickets or more at a single concert, a free complimentary ticket is provided.
Orchestra Supporters for the 2026-27 concert season will receive a discount code upon joining/ renewal for 10% off one ticket per concert for individual members, or up to two tickets per concert for joint members.
If you have a query regarding your membership or discount codes, please email the Orchestra directly at deHavillandSupp@gmail.com for assistance.
Getting to the Weston Auditorium
The Weston Auditorium is located in the Main Building on the de Havilland Campus (AL10 9EU).
By Car: please park in Staff/ StudentCar Park DH1, the main car park on the de Havilland Campus. Parking is FREE on Sundays.
By Public Transport: the nearest bus stop is the de Havilland Campus or Ellenbrook Lane.
Follow signs for the Weston Auditorium on arrival.
For more information on how to get here, including a parking map, please visit: Travel + Parking
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible seats (either end of row F which is step-free) and free complimentary tickets for carers can be booked by calling our Box Office.
Accessible parking spaces are located closest to the Main Building.
There is step-free access to the venue including ground floor entrances and a ramp to the Auditorium foyer.
The nearest accessible toilet is on the ground floor about 50m from the Auditorium.
An induction loop is available.
A lift is situated in the foyer of the Auditorium.
Buying Tickets on the Day
We advise booking in advance, where possible, to avoid disappointment.
Subject to availability, tickets will be available on the day at our physical Box Office 1 hour before the performance.
Please note, our Box Office is cashless, and we can only accept card and contactless payments.
