Past events

• Monday 25 July 2022 at 6.30PM

  Contemporary Consort with Michael Berkeley

  A Dark Waltz, American Suite & The Holkham Hoedown

  King's Lynn Town Hall, Saturday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5DQ

  Join Michael Berkeley, former Cheltenham Festival director, for a conversation with Ambrose Miller. This is followed by a performance of a new work, The Holkham Hoedown, and some of his other chamber works. Performed by Sarah Thurlow’s Contemporary Consort, featuring cellist Andrew Skidmore and pianist Iain Farrington. Following the concert there is an opportunity to meet Michael over a complimentary glass of wine.

• Monday 27 June 2022 at 2.00PM

  West Cork Festival Premiere: A Time of Rapture

  A Time of Rapture performed by Julius Drake (piano) & Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano)

  St. Brendan's Church, Wolfe Tone’s Square, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland

  Belinda and Julius Drake were generously responsible for the creation of this new song. The text, suggested by them, comes from Wordsworth’s The Prelude in which the poet recalls his own personal embrace of nature. At first I struggled to see a way to set these dynamic lines but Schubert gave me the answer in his irresistible conjuring up of journeys on powerful steeds. The song is bookended with a contrastingly introverted phrase from my cycle, Speaking Silence, suggesting first the abstract nature of rapture and, finally, the dying sun of evening. The World Premiere of 'A Time of Rapture' is performed by Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano) and Julius Drake (piano). - Michael Berkeley

• Sunday 08 May 2022 at 7.00PM

  Budapest Spring Festival - Women's Songs

  This concert features a selection of works by women composers and poets, from Clara Schumann and Dora Pejacevic to the youngest generation, such as Louise Labe, Ingeborg Bachmann and Angéla García. The concert also includes performances of 'How do I love thee' from 'Songs of awakening Love' (music by Michael Berkeley and words by Elizabeth Barrett Browning), and 'Tant que mes Yeux' from Five Songs (music by Lennox Berkeley and words by Louise Labé). Women's voices that have been suppressed, ridiculed or even banned for centuries can now be heard.

• Sunday 08 May 2022 at 10.00AM

  Super Flumina Babylonis

  Super Flumina Babylonis

  St. Pancras Parish Church, Euston Road, London, NW1 2BA

• Saturday 07 May 2022 at 7.00PM

  Budapest Spring Festival - Silent Love

  Austrian Cultural Forum Budapest, Benczúr u. 16, 1068, Budapest, Hungary

  Hear forgotten female voices, including Elsa Asenijeff, who suffered a tragic fate, Dora Pejacevic, the Croatian composer born in Budapest, and Ursula Malok, who emigrated to the USA. The concert includes 'How do I love thee' (No. 3 from 'Songs of awakening Love', music by Michael Berkeley and words by Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Also performed are works by distinctive female composers such as Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin of Russian descent, Johanna Doderer and Gabriele Proy from Austria, Beth Falcone from the US and Australian cellist Melissa Coleman, who will play her own compositions.

• Thursday 17 February 2022 at 7.00PM

  Somewhere: An English-Austrian Song Recital

  Ode - In Memoriam & Three Rilke Sonnets

  Austrian Cultural Forum London, 28 Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1PQ

  This special evening will see the young virtuoso mezzo-soprano Josipa Bainac, accompanied by pianist David Hausknecht and violist Alexander Znamensky, interpret recent compositions by Austrian and English composers. The programme includes 'Ode - In Memoriam' and 'Und fast ein Madchen' from 'Three Rilke Sonnets' by Michael Berkeley. Also on the programme are works by Erich. W. Korngold, Akos Banlaky and others. The concert has a unique symbiotic twist: English poetry set to Austrian compositions, and vice versa.
  
  Entry is free, but pre-booking is required.