THE classical autumn season is set to start in Helmsley this weekend.

Following the success of the first concert this season, Helmsley Arts Centre is welcoming both the Fitzwilliam Quartet and York Guildhall Orchestra for evenings of classic music this month.

Simon Wright is conducting the York Guildhall Orchestra for a Mozart concert for two performances on Sunday, November 10, at 3pm and 7.30pm.

The concert begins with a String Divertimento in D, followed by the Piano Concerto No.9 in Eb played by Rebecca Taylor, a musician from Scarborough who now performs on the international scene.

The Fitzwilliam Quartet is a British string quartet, now one of the longest established string quartets in the world, which was founded in 1968 by four undergraduates in Fitzwilliam College Cambridge.

They are now celebrating their 50th year and will be performing at 7.30pm on Saturday, November 23, as part of the celebrations.

There have been a number of changes over the years in the quartet, but the current line-up combines founding member Alan George on viola, with violinists Lucy Russell and Marcus Barcham Stevens and cellist Sally Pendlebury.

Tickets start from £15. For more information, go online at helmsleyarts.co.uk