Louis Lortie (piano), UO/ Kenneth Montgomery

Waterfront Hall, Belfast Tonight 7.45pm £8-£23.50 048-90239955

Waterfront Hall, Belfast Tonight 7.45pm £8-£23.50 048-90239955

It's changing-of-the-guard time at the Ulster Orchestra. Kenneth Montgomery, the current principal conductor and first Belfastman to hold the post, comes to the end of his term on Friday. His farewell programme is a straight-down-the-middle popular affair: Glinka's Russlan and Ludmilla Overture,Mozart's Piano Concerto in D K537 (with Louis Lortie), and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony.

Montgomery (pictured) will, of course, be returning next season as a guest, for a concert during the Belfast Festival in October, and with a programme that includes Liszt's FaustSymphony next February 4th.

The orchestra is also losing its chief executive, David Byers, who retires in September. No successor has yet been appointed to either post. The orchestra has recently announced Ian Wilson as its new associate composer; he will join an artistic line-up that includes Paul Watkins as principal guest conductor, Christopher Bell as associate conductor and James Galway as artist laureate.

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor