By |

If you haven’t yet discovered the delightful gem that is the 1901 Arts Club, now is the time to do so….

7 Star Arts present a trio of concerts at the 1901 Arts Club this autumn featuring leading musicians, including pianist Viv McLean and up-and-coming soprano Sofia Kirwan-Baez, in a range of imaginative programmes of music from Nadia Boulanger to George Gershwin and Benjamin Britten – and much more besides. These concerts are in support of English National Opera’s Benevolent Fund

Housed in a converted schoolmaster’s house a stone’s throw from Waterloo Station, the 1901 Arts Club is an intimate, convivial chamber music venue whose ethos, ambiance and decor is inspired by Europe’s ninteenth-century Salon culture. It’s the perfect place to enjoy music with friends, and it boasts an elegant upstairs bar for pre- and post-concert socialising. And at these concerts with 7 Star Arts, you’ll have the chance to meet the artists as well.

Tuesday 24 September HIDDEN GEMS OF FRENCH SONG with Sofia Kirwan-Baez

Hotfoot from her recent appearance at Longborough Festival Opera, soprano, pianist and songwriter Sofia Kirwan-Baez takes you on a journey through French song, from Nadia and Lilli Boulanger to Edith Piaf and Barbara. Plus a few surprises along the way…

Find out more / Book TICKETS

Wednesday 30 October ALICE NEARY cello and VIV McLEAN piano

Two of our finest musicians perform much-loved sonatas for cello and piano by Debussy, Britten & Franck.

The pianist Viv McLean seemed exceptional….he astonished us with his musical maturity and extraordinary sonority

Le Monde, Paris

FIND OUT MORE / BOOK TICKETS

Wednesday 4 December CLASSIC GERSHWIN with VIV McLEAN piano & SUSAN PORRETT narrator

7 Star Arts most popular words and music production makes its 1901 Arts Club debut. This “glorious celebration of Gershwin’s life and music” weaves the vibrant music of the ever-popular composer with his fascinating life story from birth in the colourful, teeming New York of 1898 to his tragically early death in 1937. Programme includes Gershwin favourites The Man I love and Rhapsody in Blue as well as lesser-known works.

Find out more / book tickets

By |

Regards from Rochester by award-winning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones was commissioned by Rochester Choral Society to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2023. The work received its premiere on 18th March 2023 in Rochester Cathedral and was subsequently performed in Wells and Glastonbury respectively in April 2023.

The town of Rochester in Kent is drenched in history. Regards from Rochester celebrates the rich history of the Medway Towns, exploring themes and valuable human stories while relating them to contemporary society. From the first Saxon settlement through to historic stronghold, from pillar of British naval history through to industrial centre and inspiration for Charles Dickens, composer Thomas Hewitt Jones feels that this “postcard from Rochester” celebrates and exudes compassion for our planet, social conscience, humanity and kindness – values that are incredibly important to our world today.

Director of Music, John Mountford, says: “Rochester Choral Society has passed some significant milestones recently, with 2022 marking the 100th anniversary of our first performance in Rochester Cathedral. We wanted to commission a piece which reflected the diversity of this area’s rich and turbulent history, with a historically accurate, humorous and engaging new piece. We wanted to find somebody with a connection and passion for the Medway Towns and who wanted to help raise awareness of the cultural and social heritage of the area.”

Composer Thomas Hewitt Jones, who lives in Rochester, says: “I was delighted when John Mountford approached me to commission this work for Rochester Choral Society’s very exciting 150th anniversary. Quite early on in our discussions, we decided that the richness of Medway’s history was conducive to a new text, so the result is a 10-movement oratorio which we hope tells the story of the area with sweeping melody and angularity where appropriate. I have written it to be as both engaging and as musically interesting as possible.” 

John Mountford believes that choral societies are an essential part of national music-making after the COVID era. “Music is central to the lives of so many people; it binds community and enhances wellbeing for singers and audiences alike.

For Thomas Hewitt Jones, writing Regards from Rochester has been an extremely fulfilling and wholesome commission, not only given the richness of local history, but also due to the strength of the musical heritage of Rochester Choral Society dating all the way back to 1873.

“It was a privilege and a pleasure to discover many historic riches of the Medway area, which is often referred to in relation to Charles Dickens, the former Dockyard and as a stronghold to and from London, but in fact contains numerous other riches. Spending extensive time in Rochester library and reading around the history in detail, it became swiftly apparent that the area’s rich social history made up for any perception Medway may have externally of lack of charm; as the text and music were forming, I was delighted to have conversations with local Medway Council operative John Lester, who is an 8th generation of the Lester family in Rochester and who offered personal anecdotes of life in Medway since the Victorian era, some of which I have incorporated into the work. Above and beyond the history books and local connections, in this work I have aimed to reflect throughout the work on the nature of life in 2022, both beyond the recent pandemic (which let’s face it indelibly changed life as we know it) and also in the shadow of contemporary issues that affect our society, not least our collective sense of identity and perhaps most importantly, the current climate change crisis.”

This debut recording of Regards from Rochester features the BBC Singers, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and Rochester Choral Society, with Harriet Mountford (soprano) and Simon Thorpe (baritone), conducted by John Mountford

Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, London, Regards from Rochester is released by Vivum Music Ltd on all streaming platforms. Physical CDs available from the Rochester Cathedral shop and Rochester Choral Society

For further press information/review copies/interviews, please contact Frances Wilson frances_wilson66@live.com

By |

Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts (WLCC), which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, is undergoing a ‘rebrand’ to reflect exciting expanding plans to bring more high-quality classical music and musicians to the popular Dorset seaside resort.

The series, founded by Weymouth-born pianist Duncan Honeybourne on his return to his hometown at the age of 25, has become well known as a platform for young professionals and established artists, and is now taking its activities up a gear. Last year’s summer concert, featuring chamber musicians coached by Duncan at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, was such a success that this year a special summer series of four extra Sunday afternoon concerts is being presented under the organisation’s new name CHAMBER MUSIC WEYMOUTH.

In addition to two Young Artist Showcase events on 9th and 16th July, Chamber Music Weymouth will also present a special concert of sea shanties and music inspired by or evocative of the sea and coastal landscapes with Lyme Bay Moonrakers and Duncan Honeybourne (14th July). The summer series will conclude on 28th July with a song recital given by baritone John Barker and pianist Helen Cawthorne.

Artistic Director Duncan Honeybourne says, “We’ve always made a point of welcoming young musicians, and last year’s young piano trio thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the seaside, eating ice cream on the beach after playing Mendelssohn to a large, supportive and enthusiastic audience. Everyone loved the event, and there were calls for a repeat, so this year we decided to expand the enterprise.”

Frances Wilson, herself a major voice in the piano world through her blog ‘The Cross-Eyed Pianist’, joined Duncan in 2019 as Concerts Manager, and together they plan to put their stretch of the Jurassic Coast firmly on the musical map. Frances says, “We have enjoyed record audiences since we returned to our regular monthly concerts following the challenges of the covid lockdowns, and we look forward to capitalising on this enthusiasm for what we do here with an expanded programme of concerts and other related events as we approach our 25th anniversary in 2027.”

Thanks to a generous donation from the Weymouth Music Club, which closed in 2023 after presenting concerts in the town for almost 80 years, Chamber Music Weymouth will, in addition to the regular monthly lunchtime concert series, offer further opportunities to young musicians at the start of their professional careers. Future plans also include a music festival, piano competition and masterclasses/piano courses.

The first Young Artist Showcase concert, presented by Chamber Music Weymouth, takes place on Sunday 9th June at 3pm at St Mary’s Church in central Weymouth. Students of Duncan Honeybourne from the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and the University of Southampton will perform music by Mozart, Lalo, Paganini, and Beethoven. Tickets cost just £5, available online or on the door.

Book tickets

Full details of all concerts/events and a detailed history of the series can be found at weymouthchamberconcerts.com

“a really special concert series” – Joseph Tong, pianist

“Weymouth is truly fortunate to have a concert series that benefits both local people and the wider musical community…..this is a valuable initiative that deserves continuing support and celebration.” – James Lisney, pianist

Launched in 2002 by concert pianist and Weymouth resident Duncan Honeybourne, Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts presents high-quality chamber music in the heart of Weymouth and offers a platform for musical partnerships with friends and colleagues. The concerts also give young musicians, often recent graduates from conservatoire or university, valuable performing experience to a friendly, loyal audience.

Programmes are varied and imaginative, mixing well-known works with lesser-known repertoire and composers, and all concerts take place in the attractive surroundings of St Mary’s Church, an early 19th-century church in central Weymouth, built of Portland stone.

Since its return to normal concert-giving following the covid lockdowns, the series has enjoyed record audience numbers with concerts by, amongst others, pianists Margaret Fingerhut, Joseph Tong, Allan Schiller and John Humphreys, Viv McLean, Penelope Roskell, James Lisney, Matthew Schellhorn and Katharine Lam, cellist Joseph Spooner, bass-baritone Timothy Dickinson, violinists Peter Fisher, Christopher Horner and Leora Cohen, and clarinettist Poppy Beddoe, as well as talented young musicians or recent graduates from conservatoire. Featured contemporary composers include Sadie Harrison, Adam Gorb, Ben Gaunt, Liz Dilnot Johnson and Fazil Say.

The series receives no funding or sponsorship, and all artist fees and other costs are met through ticket sales alone.

By |

A round up of concerts, CD releases, and other events from people who have featured in my Meet the Artist interview series.

Pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi (interview coming soon) performs music by Haydn, Nancarrow and Prokofiev as part of the Festival (Piano) Oxygene in Paris. His new disc of Haydn Piano Sonatas was released on 15th September. Further details here

Platinum Consort, directed by Scott Inglis-Kidger, performs choral works by Howells, Batten, Tallis, Josquin, Sheppard, Purcell, Lassus and Bainbridge, together with the world premiere of Miserere by Richard Bates in a concert on Saturday 27th September at Holy Trinity church, Sloane Square, London SW3. Further information here

Hannah Woolmer, violin, and Daniel Roberts, piano perform at the Foundling Museum, London on Sunday 5th October. The concert includes music by Nimrod Borenstein. In November, Hannah and Daniel release a CD of works by Franck and Brahms. Further information here

Pianist Jonathan Powell tackles some of the most fearsomely difficult and lengthy music in the repertoire with performances in Seattle of works by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892–1988), including Sorabji’s 1949 Sequentia cyclica super Dies irae, a set of 27 variations on the Gregorian requiem chant— seven hours of music in all, performed in bouts of roughly three, two, and two hours with two intervals. More on this pianistic marathon here

Congratulations to harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani for the Gramophone Baroque Instrumental Recording Award for his disc of CPE Bach’s Wurttemberg Sonatas. Mahan has recently been signed by the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Fortepianist John Irving is giving a series of concerts, masterclasses and lectures around the UK and in Europe, focusing on Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven:

4 October 2014: Finchcocks (Mozart Kegelstatt Trio and chamber music by his Viennese contemporaries – with Jane Booth and Peter Collyer)

31 October 2014: University of Hull – Haydn Keyboard Sonatas, 1.15pm – followed by masterclass for students

14 November 2014: Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich (Beethoven Trio for Clarinet, Cello, Piano, Op.38 – with Jane Booth and Ruth Alford). 2.30pm. Greenwich International Early Music Festival.

27 November 2014: Masterclass at Conservatorio “Benedetto Marcello” di Venezia

28 November 2014: Fondazione Cini, Venice: Beethoven and Mozart sonatas with Davide Amodio (violin)

30 November 2014: Holywell Music Room, Oxford (Haydn and Mozart sonatas), 4.00pm

21-4 January 2015: Masterclasses/Lecture-recital at Conservatorio dell Svizzera Italiana, Lugano

22 February 2015: Milton Court, London (Mozart’s 1764 ‘London Notebook’)

Another post to follow soon with more news from Meet the Artist…..