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London’s Wigmore Hall celebrates its 125th birthday on 31st May 2026

Early days

The first concert at the new Bechstein (now Wigmore) Hall took place on 31st May 1901. The performance featured English soprano Mrs Helen Trust, ‘king of the violin’ Eugene Ysaye, and composer-pianist Ferruccio Busoni – an impressive line-up that promised well not only for the opening night but also for the future of London’s newest concert venue. The audience at that first concert comprised wealthy patrons, aristocrats and the intellectual elite of London. It would surely have been a glamorous event. The first public concert took place on 3rd June 1901, and from that date until October 1915, when Bechstein Hall was forced to close, it hosted some two hundred concerts a year.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Bechstein Hall on London’s Wigmore Street – a prime location in the fashionable Marylebone district – was promoted as the best place for intimate music-making, boasting unrivalled comfort and facilities for patrons and artists, with its elegant green room up a short flight of stairs behind the stage (so that singers did not arrive on stage breathless). At the time of its opening, concert life and leisure in London were undergoing something of a revolution. Theatres and music halls were opening across the West End, a wide public was being introduced to the experience of shopping for pleasure in the new “department stores” (Selfridges is a mere 10-minute walk, at most, from Wigmore Street). With cheap and efficient public transport, it was easy for people to enjoy these delights in the centre of the metropolis.

At the time of the hall’s opening, C. Bechstein was Europe’s leading piano maker (it produced 5000 pianos in 1901), and its instruments were preferred by most pianists outside America, where Steinway predominated. The Bechstein piano company built similar concert halls in Paris and St Petersburg to showcase its instruments and the leading performers and singers of the day. With its distinctive barrel-roof “shoebox” design, beloved of many musicians and audience, Wigmore Hall still boasts a fine acoustic. At the same time, its small size (its capacity is c600 seats) makes it the perfect place to enjoy intimate chamber and piano recitals.

“…wherever you sit, the acoustics are wonderful for the piano”. (Lorraine Banning, pianist and piano teacher)

“…the classic shoebox-shaped hall with the most marvellous acoustics – it sounds very good when you’re rehearsing, and then you come on stage and find that with the audience it’s even better….a jewel” (Madeleine Mitchell, violinist)

War time and changing hands

During the First World War, it became increasingly difficult for Bechstein Hall to trade successfully. Strong anti-German sentiments and the passing of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act 1916 led to the hall’s closure in June 1916, and all property, including the concert hall and the showrooms, was seized and summarily closed. The hall was sold at auction to the Debenhams department store, which rechristened it Wigmore Hall, and it opened under its new name on 16th January 1917. Instead of a German C. Bechstein piano, a French Erard graced the stage.

Although a German instrument was forbidden, German music certainly was not, and the programme included works by Schubert and Schumann – composers whose music continues to appear regularly in concert programmes at the hall

Wigmore Hall today

Nestling unobtrusively just a stone’s throw from the bustle of Oxford Street, within a row of tall Edwardian façades, Wigmore Hall enjoys a position of pre-eminence not only in London but across the international classical music scene, and a debut at Wigmore Hall is the long-held dream of many young and up-and-coming performers. While other, newer or more modern concert halls may boast state-of-the-art acoustics, the acoustics of Wigmore Hall remain one of the best and most beloved. No matter that the distant rumble of tube trains can be heard during performances (underground lines run directly beneath the street where the hall is located), one feels cocooned from the outside world in that special red-and-gold space.

“I have never been fortunate enough to perform there, but have wonderful memories of being in the audience. Every note sparkles.” (Lucy Melvin, violinist)

“It’s the only hall I know where the best seats (from the listening point of view) are in the balcony. Judging by the conversations I’ve had up there, quite a lot of people know this.” (Orlando Murrin, author)

The hall and its audience

Alongside its reputation for chamber music of the highest quality, the Wigmore’s audience is famous for its loyalty, intelligence and discernment. It is considered by many musicians to be one of the most demanding audiences of any concert hall, which brings its own unique set of pressures, and many performers will play a programme in regional venues and for local music societies before “doing a Wigmore”.

But the hall holds a special place in the affections of many performers, who regard it as their artistic home in London. There are no rough edges in this beautifully proportioned hall, no jarring modern architectural details to confuse and distract. The tread of the thick crimson carpets is complemented by the red Verona marble frieze, the noise and litter of Oxford Street and the West End forgotten in the spacious vestibule and elegant green room. Playing at the Wigmore or being in the audience, one feels a sense of history and heritage, for the Wigmore inhabits a different era and ethos from other concert venues in London. All the time, one is aware of the great performances that have taken place in the hall, and the walls of the green room are lined with photographs of musicians and composers, honouring the hall’s history and legacy.

“…the place is so full of musical ghosts.” (Caroline Swinburne, author)

As a member of the audience, attending a concert at the Wigmore has its own special rituals from the moment one steps through the glass doors. For many of us who are regulars at the “sacred shoebox” (Vikram Seth, author), it feels like our musical spiritual home. The richly carpeted vestibule is a place where people meet, queue for tickets, and buy programmes, CDs or gifts. Sometimes, if you arrive early, you might hear the soloist warming up or the piano being tuned, which can lend a special frisson to the evening, a glimpse of what is to come.

Downstairs, the bars and restaurant hum with pre-concert chatter, and sometimes, when you visit, you might spot a “musical celebrity” – Steven Isserlis, Alfred Brendel, Julian Lloyd Weber, or Steven Kovacevich.

I like to arrive in good time for drinks and chat with friends before the bell summons us to the hall, when we sink into the plush comfort of the crimson seats. In the auditorium, in the moments before the concert begins, one senses the audience’s collective breath of expectation. 

“The restaurant is great for socialising with fellow concert goers, and of course, as it is so popular with other musicians, you always see someone you know there, but mostly it is the sense of intimacy and history which, combined with wonderful acoustics wherever one sits, makes it unique.” (Lorraine Banning, pianist & piano teacher)

For many of us, Wigmore Hall is special because it holds emotion as much as music. The intimacy, the acoustics, the history, and the feeling that every performance truly matters create something unforgettable for both the audience and the performers.

People, usually those who have never stepped through Wigmore’s discreet entrance, let alone enjoyed a concert there, grumble about the audience’s age or its being overly highbrow, snobbish or elitist. But get talking to the person next to you (spying my reporter’s notebook is usually enough to start a conversation) and you will find that the average Wigmore audience member is none of these things, simply someone who really enjoys and appreciates live classical music.

And the management of Wigmore Hall really do “know” their audience. No trendy marketing to attract the elusive “yoof audience”; instead, stylish, understated brochures announcing the new season and a clear identity across its social media. So confident is Wigmore Hall, and such is the loyalty of its core audience, that it does not need to resort to gimmicks to attract and retain its audience. It knows exactly how to cultivate and nurture, and, importantly, to trust its audience (and indeed many others in the hall’s ecosystem) – something many other venues and concert organisations could learn from. 

People, programmes and new challenges

That said, Wigmore Hall has a broad remit and, in addition to lunchtime, evening and Sunday morning concerts, offers a lively education programme, masterclasses and study days, music for small babies and toddlers, and “Wigmore Lates”, concerts that start at 10pm and feature not only classical music but also jazz, folk and world music. A broad range of performers is presented – from the “big names” of international classical music (Igor Levit, Andras Schiff, Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Sarah Connolly, Christina Gerhaher…) to younger artists at the start of their professional careers, and to musicians from other cultures (the African Concert Series, for example, is a popular regular feature in the hall’s programming). 

In 2025, Director John Gilhooly revealed that he would no longer receive funding from Arts Council England, citing ACE’s “crippling”, “onerous”, and “exhausting” policy demands and red tape. The hall is now self-sufficient, thanks to a major campaign that raised £10 million. Freed from the restraints of ACE, the Wigmore can consistently deliver superb artistic quality and a wide range of programming.

COVID-19 dealt a terrible blow to live performance. I was at Wigmore Hall on the last day of February 2020, for a concert by American pianist Jonathan Biss, scorching his way through Beethoven’s piano sonatas. The house was packed, and many friends and colleagues from the piano world were there. There was little talk of the “novel virus”, and when a friend hugged me in the vestibule, we both laughed and said, “maybe we shouldn’t have done that!” At that time, neither of us knew that within three weeks concert halls, opera houses and theatres around the world would be shuttered and silent.

In summer 2020, 11 weeks after closure, music filled Wigmore Hall again. John Gilhooly, the energetic and inspiring director since 2005, refused to be defeated by the virus and, in the spirit of Dame Myra Hess’s concerts from the National Gallery during the Second World War, on 1st June, Sir Stephen Hough played the first of a series of livestreamed concerts from an empty hall (the hall had had its own broadcasting facilities from 2011). It was poignant and moving for all sorts of reasons, not least because his opening piece was the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, which Busoni himself had played in the hall in November 1902. Inspiring, uplifting and painfully wonderful, there was Stephen Hough on stage, immaculate in his usual concert attire, playing beautifully to an empty hall. The return of live music offered a glimmer of hope. [Read my review here]

The livestreamed series proved hugely popular (Hough’s concert received some 800,000 views) and gave those of us who ached for the return of proper live concerts an opportunity to enjoy music from the beloved “sacred shoebox”. But anxieties were raised about the number of people watching online concerts and livestreams: would those enjoying music from the comfort of their living rooms (and not paying £10 for a glass of wine in the bar) return when the concert halls reopened? In fact, audiences surged back to the Wigmore, with a marked increase in the number of younger people attending concerts.

Today, Wigmore Hall seems more popular than ever, and my only regret is that, now that I no longer live in London, I can’t simply nip on a train and be there in an hour. When I worked in London and reviewed regularly for Bachtrack.com, I was at the hall several times a week, sometimes twice a day! – at lunchtime and in the evening. Now, concert trips have to be planned more carefully, but I still love Wigmore Hall’s unique atmosphere (known affectionately amongst some of us as “the Wiggy”) and enjoy its ambience from afar, through its social media presence and reviews and reports from friends and acquaintances who are regulars at the hall. 

“As a piano music collector, some of my favourite recordings have come from live recitals at the Wigmore…It is a treasured venue, even from this side of the pond.” (T Weir, Illinois)

To coincide with Wigmore Hall’s 125th birthday, Julia Boyd’s new book, There is Sweet Music Here: The World of Wigmore Hall, tells the story of Wigmore Hall, one of the world’s most beloved concert halls, in vivid, enthralling detail, from its opening in 1901 to the present day. An enjoyable, fascinating and affectionate read, the book is a wonderful tribute to Wigmore Hall, the many musicians who have graced its stage, and the audiences and others who make the venue so special. 

Happy Birthday, Wigmore Hall!

There is Sweet Music Here: The World of Wigmore Hall is published in the UK by Elliott & Thompson.

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Hertfordshire Festival of Music 2026 – 30 May to 8 June

Tenth Anniversary Festival

2026 is the tenth anniversary of the Hertfordshire Festival of Music (HFoM). HFoM is marking this milestone across 2026 and 2027 with the theme Made in Herts! – celebrating music, art, place and community in Hertfordshire.

The 2026 festival, Made in Herts: Part One, presents a focused programme of concerts and events that bring music into contact with local places, ideas and people.

During the festival period, concerts and events take place in venues in the towns of Hertford and St Albans. The programme brings together musicians at different stages of their professional lives, including artists with strong local connections and familiar Festival collaborators, and explores music alongside wider artistic and cultural contexts.

Events range from intimate concerts and solo recitals to talks and projects that place music in dialogue with visual art, film, landscape and a sense of place. The Festival also continues its commitment to supporting emerging musicians from the county, offering them a professional platform within the wider programme.

2026 Festival highlights:

  • Forms in Stone and Sound with art historian Barry Dodge and composer James Francis Brown
    An illustrated talk on sculptor Henry Moore (who lived and worked in Hertfordshire from 1940 until his death in 1986), interspersed with movements from string quartets by Elizabeth Maconchy (who was born in Broxbourne, Herts).
  • ‘Made in Hertford’ walk with Elizabeth Eastwood
  • Lunchtime Piano Recital with Adrian Oldland
  • New Virtuosi: A Meeting of Friends Featuring former HFoM masterclass participants and invited artists
  • Film Music from the Hertfordshire Film Industry with the Festival Community Concert Band. Often called “Hollywood in Herts,” Hertfordshire is a premier UK film and TV hub, home to world-class studios where films such as the Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones series, and TV shows like The Crown and Strictly Come Dancing are produced. 
  • Lunchtime recital in the Lady Chapel at St Albans Cathedral
BOOK TICKETS

It’s never just the performances that define a festival – it’s the shared spirit behind them.
JAMES FRANCIS BROWN Artistic Director

Made in Herts: Part One marks the starting point of the Festival’s tenth‑year celebrations. Made in Herts: Part Two sees the programme opening out into an expansive and celebratory festival in 2027.

The Hertfordshire Festival of Music is fundamentally a community endeavour, created to bring people together, educate, and foster meaningful dialogue. Every element – from performances and educational projects to outreach and talks – is part of a larger conversation linking shared history with the promise of a more engaged future.

Full details of this year’s programme and performers can be found here: hertsmusicfest.org.uk

we are so lucky in Hertford to have such a wonderful festival

a wonderful celebration of music!

I love that the Festival brings us new music and young musicians

fantastic

Audience comments

Website: http://www.hertsmusicfest.org.uk
X: @HertMusicFest Instagram: @hertsfestofmusic Facebook: @Hertsmusicfest

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This article in The Spectator https://spectator.com/article/the-joy-of-the-little-things/, and a Facebook post by a good friend of mine, celebrating the little or simple things in her life which give her pleasure or fulfilment, set me thinking about the pleasure of simplicity in music. This might be a beautifully intonated note on the clarinet or violin, a perfectly executed C-major scale, or the elegant simplicity of a slow movement from a Mozart piano sonata.

The title of this article captures a core truth about music: what feels most satisfying to play and/or hear is often not the most complex, but the most clear, intentional, well-understood, and beautiful. This applies to both music practice and performance.

Simplicity in Music Practice

Mastery before complexity: Focusing on simple material – scales, basic rhythms, short phrases – allows a musician to build control, accuracy, and confidence. Simple exercises reveal weaknesses clearly, making improvement more efficient. Practicing a slow scale with even tone and perfect intonation develops more skill than rushing through advanced pieces, and a well-played simple passage is more valuable than a poorly executed difficult one.

Pleasure and fulfilment come from progress – and progress is most noticeable when working with manageable material.

Mental clarity and reduced frustration: Overly complex practice can lead to tension, fatigue, and discouragement. Simplicity helps break down difficult pieces into small, clear sections and allows one to focus on one goal at a time (for example, rhythm, tone, articulation).

Deep listening and awareness: Simple music leaves space for attention to detail, such as quality of tone, timing and balance, breath, bow, or touch. This awareness strengthens musical sensitivity, which is harder to develop when attention is overwhelmed by technical difficulty.

Simplicity in Musical Performance

Clarity over complexity: In performance, audiences respond most strongly to clear musical ideas, not technical display alone. Thus, a simple melody played with expression, shaping, and conviction can be more moving than virtuosic passages played to display technical prowess but without meaning. Simplicity allows the musical message to come through without distraction.

The pleasure lies in communication, not complication.

Confidence and presence: Simpler interpretations often lead to fewer mistakes, greater freedom of expression, stronger connection with the audience. When a performer is not struggling with difficulty, they can be fully present in the music.

Emotional honesty: By not hiding behind complexity, the performer reveals emotion, vulnerability, and authentic musical intent. Such honesty is deeply satisfying for both performer and listener.

Balance, not avoidance of difficulty

“The pleasure in simplicity” does not mean avoiding challenging music. Instead, it means: developing complexity from a simple, solid foundation; stripping music down to its essentials – melody, rhythm, harmony, expression; and remembering that difficulty should serve musical meaning, not replace it

In both practice and performance, simplicity brings pleasure by fostering clarity, control, confidence, and emotional connection. When music is approached with simplicity, it becomes more human, more expressive, and ultimately more enjoyable – reminding us that music’s power often lies in how little it needs to say to express something deeply meaningful.

We often overlook the beauty of simplicity. Some of the most profound insights are found in the elegant and uncomplicated.

Professor Richard Feynman, physicist

Images: Photo by Jason Gardner on Unsplash and Ivona Rož on Unsplash

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Introducing Zenezen – a “creative ecosystem for musicians, by musicians.”

[ze-neh-zen]

Zene [noun, Hungarian] music

Zen     1. [noun] A state of meditative calm, in which one uses direct, intuitive insights as a way of thinking and acting

2. [adjective/colloquial] Wise, enlightened, relaxed, capable

Zenezen is an emerging initiative and digital platform designed to support the professional and personal development of musicians. Founded by British concert pianist and educator Ashley Wass, it brings together a global network of artists, educators and industry professionals to share knowledge, mentorship and resources aimed at improving the sustainability and wellbeing of careers in music.

I spoke to Ashley Wass to find out more about Zenezen and his motivation for establishing it.

What inspired you to create Zenezen, and what gap in the music profession are you hoping to address?

It’s something that’s been building for a long time – over three decades of experience in the profession (plus the years of study at a specialist music school before that) have ultimately led me here. And it’s not only my experiences; the countless conversations I’ve held with friends and colleagues over the course of my career are part of it too.

What’s clear is that many musicians traverse their entire careers without fully understanding how the industry works, and that’s often a source of intense frustration, loneliness and instability. Zenezen aspires to promote greater transparency, deepen knowledge, and champion a culture of sharing. I’m a big believer in peer-to-peer support, and everyone who contributes to Zenezen does so because they want to help their fellow musicians.

How would you describe the core mission of Zenezen to someone encountering it for the first time?

Quite simply, we want to make the world of classical music a happier and healthier place. Our platform will be a safe space where people can share their expertise and experience for the benefit of their peers. It will be a place where musicians can access beautiful content that supports their wellbeing and professional development. We will promote live events, both online and in-person. And there will be opportunities for mentoring and networking. With the desire to promote togetherness at its heart, Zenezen will be a community.

Musicians often face pressures that aren’t always visible from the outside. What kinds of challenges is Zenezen trying to help address?

For such a communal activity, a life in music can be surprisingly lonely. Many musicians feel unable to express their vulnerabilities for fear of damaging their reputations, but deep down, most of us are facing the same challenges. As mentioned above, there’s a general lack of knowledge about the industry, and we want to break down those barriers. And we also aspire to support musicians across the wide range of skills that are required to manage oneself effectively and healthily in the profession. Of course, the nature of those skills is constantly evolving – who would have predicted 15 years ago the role that social media would play in our careers, for example? – and we need to ensure that appropriate and contemporary training is available, such that musicians are well-equipped to keep pace.

The data is deeply worrying – a 2020 survey of musicians around the globe found that 71% reported stress and anxiety, 76% had suffered playing-related injuries, 66% faced discrimination, and 82% felt the industry provided inadequate support for their mental health. Since 2019, no doubt partly due to the pandemic, there has been a 396% increase  in consultations for musicians with mental health concerns. There are all sorts of factors at play – unsociable working hours, poor pay, inconsistency of bookings, accessibility, etc, etc. What Zenezen can do is raise awareness of the challenges, offer help and guidance through them, champion togetherness as a core value, and serve as an advocate for positive change whenever the opportunity exists.

Zenezen brings together artists, educators and industry professionals. Why is this kind of cross-disciplinary community important for musicians today?

The music industry is made of lots of moving parts, and for too long, there hasn’t been enough transparency and understanding between them. It’s vital that educators hear from artists about the demands of the industry so that they can evolve their offerings accordingly. It’s crucial that artists hear from promoters and agents what it is they’re looking for. And it’s important that promoters work more closely with artists to find ways of developing the audiences of the future. Without that, the industry – and everyone in it – will continue to struggle.

At Zenezen, we keep repeating the slogan “Making music together”. It’s not a trite piece of marketing text – we really mean it. Positive change will only happen if we work together.

Can you share an example of a project, activity or conversation within Zenezen that has had a particularly meaningful impact?

It’s difficult to single out any one thing, to be honest. What I will say is this; the support and enthusiasm with which the idea of Zenezen has been embraced – by individuals and institutions – has been truly humbling. So often, the response has been, “this is not just important, it’s essential”. We live in a fascinating time – where people are questioning how we interact with one another – and there’s no doubt the appetite exists for a stronger sense of community.

How does Zenezen aim to support both emerging musicians and more established artists?

I’ve mentioned the word “community” several times already, and that’s the key. Zenezen exists to support our fellow musicians, and we will take direction from them as to what they want us to produce. Everyone who engages with Zenezen has a voice and the opportunity to help shape the platform. So, with that in mind, we would love to hear from musicians at all stages of their careers; their feedback and suggestions will be invaluable as we seek to create the resources that they find helpful.

What role do wellbeing, resilience and sustainability play in the philosophy behind the platform?

For so long, there’s been an attitude that the suffering of great hardship is a requisite to becoming a great artist. It’s a myth that exists in our worship of musical idols, it has been a fundamental part of certain pedagogical traditions for decades, and it pervades our psychologies such that we tend to ‘muddle on’ in the face of unjust, unfair practices. The profession of music lags massively behind other industries when it comes to caring for the wellbeing of its constituents, and we want that to change. Music has an astonishing power to bring joy, hope, healing and redemption to our societies, and we are blessed to be the practitioners who have the talent to deliver it. But there’s an imbalance which is demonstrated by one startling statistic; recent surveys reveal that 71% of people who listen to music report a positive impact on their wellbeing, yet as mentioned above, the very same percentage – 71% – of people who perform music professionally are citing depression and anxiety. There will always be ups and downs – successes and failures – no matter what your job, but we believe that fundamentally, the classical music industry can, and must, become a happier and healthier place.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for how Zenezen might grow or influence the wider musical community?

We will strive for Zenezen to become an influential voice in the push for positive change, and we will listen to our community members and champion their causes as much as we can. But perhaps I can best answer the question by sharing a little story from my past.

The year was 2016 and the world felt like a turbulent place. The UK had just voted for Brexit, elections around the world had thrown up worrying results, and conflict and division raged throughout our societies. At the time, my first child was 4 years old, and I worried desperately about what the future held in store for her. Late in the year, I was invited to give a concert in an abbey. It was a beautiful place, and in between rehearsal and concert, I decided to explore. It was then that I met a resident monk who was keen to chat. At some point during our conversation, I expressed my concerns and told him I felt helpless in my desire to bring harmony to the world around me. He thought for a few moments and then offered a word of wisdom that’s stayed with me ever since. “Don’t try to change the whole world”, he said. “Focus on making the world a better place for one person at a time”.

And that’s where I stand with Zenezen. Yes, we have grand ambitions. But ultimately, if we can become a space where fellow musicians find things that resonate and reassure – just one at a time – then it will all be worthwhile.

Find out more and explore Zenezen resources here: https://zenezen.net/