Autograph
Henry J Wood
1922

It feels appropriate to close this exhibition with a signature and postcard from one Henry Joseph Wood, perhaps one of the UK's best recognised conductors. Although best remebered for his association with the Proms, he performed with the Hallé upwards of 75 times throughout his career, spending much time in Manchester and the wider North West of England.

Wood was born into a modest but musicsal hosuehold, and was influenced by his father's cello playing, organ music he encountered in church as a boy, and especially by his mother's passion for traditional Welsh songs. Alongside his temendous work in forging what we today know as the Proms, he conducted with the Hallé for 30 years across his career.