’Alcina’ directed by John Ramster. Photo by David Monteith-Hodge/Photographise
Guildhall School of Music & Drama announces its Autumn 2024 Season
This autumn, Guildhall School of Music & Drama presents a varied programme of events for the public to enjoy, including concerts, drama productions, opera and jazz.
Highlights include:
A journey into the night sky with Guildhall Symphony Orchestra as it celebrates Holst’s 150th anniversary, alongside compositions inspired by planets and constellations.
Pianist Alexandra Dariescu returns for the 100th performance of her ground-breaking multimedia performance The Nutcracker & I.
Productions of Moira Buffini’s Loveplay and Joel Tan’s No Particular Order explore life, love and society with direction by acclaimed theatre-makers Ola Ince and Anna Morrissey respectively.
Guildhall Opera singers mark 150 years of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus in a new production.
Billy Childs and Ola Onabulé collaborate with Guildhall Jazz Orchestra for two unique concerts blending jazz with new styles.
Guildhall Studio Ensemble to be launched with a concert from Bill Laurance.
Guildhall Jazz Festival returns, in association with EFG London Jazz Festival, with headline performances from Helena Kay, Giacomo Smith & Mozes Rosenberg and Sultan Stevenson.
Guildhall School professor, trombonist and youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician, Peter Moore performs with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra following their tour to Belgium.
Details of the Autumn Season’s events can be found below.
Music
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Friday 27 September, 7.30pm, Barbican Hall
Ludovic Morlot, Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, conducts Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in their first concert of the academic year. Featuring Mozart’s final symphony, Jupiter, Debussy’s Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra with Alannah Makoni, and Poulenc’s Gloria with soprano Seohyun Go, the programme also includes Gitay Razaz’s Mother and Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps.
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra: The Planets
Wednesday 20 November, 7.30pm, Barbican Hall
Marking Holst’s 150th anniversary, Guildhall Symphony Orchestra celebrates the musical inspiration of the night sky, featuring the composer’s iconic suite, alongside Thomas Adès’ Polaris: Voyage for Orchestra, Kaija Saariaho’s Orion and Colin Matthews’ Pluto, The Renewer. Alpesh Chauhan, Music Director of Birmingham Opera Company, conducts the orchestra in what promises to be an out-of-this-world experience.
Tuesday 26 November, 6pm & 8pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Pianist and Guildhall professor Alexandra Dariescu celebrates the 100th performance of The Nutcracker & I, a stunning production featuring a pianist, ballerina, state-of-the-art animations and digital effects. The Nutcracker & I was premiered at Milton Court in December 2017, supported by Guildhall School, and has since enjoyed international critical acclaim on tours across Europe, Australia, China, the Emirates and the US.
Drama
Monday 21 – Saturday 26 October, Milton Court Theatre
Moira Buffini’s Loveplay captures 2000 years of love and lust, and the power of human relationships. This production of satire and romance threads darkness and tragedy in a series of interconnecting scenes exploring ever-evolving social conventions from the Romans to the present day. Ola Ince returns to Guildhall School to direct this production.
No Particular Order by Joel Tan
Monday 21 – Saturday 26 October, Milton Court Studio Theatre
Human nature is in a crisis. A despot has come to power, spreading chaos and fear. But in amid the oppression, there are some who dare to resist.
Joel Tan’s apocalyptic play No Particular Order examines the rise and fall of society in a collection of thought-provoking short scenes directed by Anna Morrissey.
Opera
Monday 4 – 11 November, Silk Street Theatre
150 years after its first performance in Vienna, Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus arrives at Silk Street Theatre this Autumn, conducted by Dominic Wheeler and directed by Ashley Dean.
Set to some of Strauss’ most memorable melodies, including waltzes and polkas, this exuberant comedy will whisk you to a party brimming with mischief, misunderstandings and mistaken identity.
Jazz
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra with Billy Childs
Wednesday 13 November, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Nikki Iles, presents a collaboration with one of the most important contemporary American composers marrying jazz with Western neoclassical music, Billy Childs.
Guildhall Jazz Festival in association with EFG London Jazz Festival
Wednesday 20 – Sunday 24 November, Milton Court Concert Hall
The creativity and originality of the Guildhall Jazz community is celebrated in the School’s annual Jazz Festival, presented in partnership with EFG London Jazz Festival.
Four afternoons and evenings of performances in Milton Court Concert Hall will be headlined by Helena Kay (20 November), Giacomo Smith & Mozes Rosenberg (21 November) and Sultan Stevenson (24 November) with a wealth of performances by Guildhall Jazz students, alumni and special guests, including the Junior Guildhall Big Band, being showcased throughout the days.
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra and Choir featuring Ola Onabulé
Friday 29 November, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra and Choir present a performance featuring the British-Nigerian singer/songwriter Ola Onabulé. Onabulé’s music combines elements of jazz, soul, funk and African music to create a unique and distinctive sound, with lyrics often addressing social and political issues, such as the fight against oppression and injustice. He has received acclaim for his ability to combine a powerful message with beautiful and moving music.
Guildhall Studio Ensemble featuring Bill Laurance
Friday 6 December, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Pianist, keyboardist and composer Bill Laurance leads the inaugural performance of the brand new Guildhall Studio Ensemble. Laurance’s music evokes a striking sense of time and place. As an original member of five-time Grammy Award-winning group Snarky Puppy, Laurance has toured the world countless times, playing to tens of thousands of fans worldwide.
Children and Young People
London Schools Symphony Orchestra
Monday 16 September, 7.30pm, Barbican Hall
London Schools Symphony Orchestra brings an eclectic programme of orchestral music to the Barbican Hall, featuring the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician Peter Moore in a performance of Jonathan Dove’s Stargazer and finishing with Elgar’s iconic Enigma Variations. The concert also features Anna Clyne’s Masquerade and Mahler’s Totenfeier.
Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Junior Guildhall String Ensemble
Saturday 7 December, 6pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Two Junior Guildhall ensembles - the Symphony Orchestra and String Ensemble - take to the stage to perform Strauss’ overture to Die Fledermaus, Borodin’s Symphony No. 2, Rota’s Concerto for Strings and Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto.
Free events
In addition to the above events, Guildhall School offers audiences an array of regular concerts, masterclasses, recitals and competitions which are free of charge to attend.
The Wind, Brass & Percussion department will host three concerts celebrating wind, saxophone and brass music at the Silk Street Music Hall. Guildhall Wind Soloists present a chamber programme including Georges Enescu’s Dectet for Winds (Tuesday 24 October, 6pm), whilst the Saxophone Ensemble demonstrates the Guildhall saxophone sound with a dazzling array of contemporary music (Friday 22 November, 7pm). Guildhall Brass 22 will perform a mixed and entertaining selection of brass classics, including Jan Koetsier’s Brass Symphony Op. 8 and Abreu’s Tico Tico.
Other highlights this season include Guildhall Jazz Singers performing at LSO St Luke’s, masterclasses with Leonid Gorokhov, Takács Quartet, Alasdair Tait, Mad Professor and Paul Lewis, and concerts as part of the City Festival of Music.
Visit gsmd.ac.uk/events for full listings.