June 2019: UK Classical Events Guide
London’s classical brunch concert series is back (with the hilarious name of Bach’n Eggs), and there’s a brand-new Museum Late in west London with a chance to party like it’s 1799. You can curl up and relax at a musical meditation experience, and immerse yourselves in a visual solar system with the soundtrack of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony. Receive these recommendations directly to your inbox by signing up to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Let’s get stuck in!
Gunnersbury Park Museum, Acton
Friday 7 June, 7pm - 10pm, £10 (includes drink)
Don your finest powdered wig and get ready to party like it’s 1799 at this inaugural Museum Late! _REMIX presents Mozart opera arias uniquely arranged for synths and set against the backdrop of a lavish party gone wrong. There’s also chocolate tasting, mask making and even a Georgian dress-up selfie station. Fancy dress encouraged...
Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, London, Newcastle, Hull & Salford
13-22 June, 8pm, £5-£18
The sacred meets the profane, the acoustic clashes with the electronic, and some of the earliest classical music ever written is dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. The enigmatic and disruptive duo Vessel and Rakhi Singh bring their original work to a range of unpretentious venues across the UK, including a lo-fi former garage in Salford described by Creative Tourist as “one of the grimiest places to spend a night”. We’re sold!
Royal Opera House, London
Sunday 16 June, 6pm-9pm, £8
The Royal Opera House is hosting a party after dark - and you’re invited! Grab tickets for this buzzy evening with exclusive live performances, music, dance, craft demonstrations and hip hop-led pub quizzes inspired by opera and ballet. Take part in an immersive adaptation of Britten's opera Billy Budd, watch out for pop-up dance shows and don’t forget your dancing shoes as the evening will come to a spectacular close with a ceilidh.
Canterbury, Birmingham & London
1-5 June, 7.30pm, £10-£43
A visually striking orchestral adventure roaming from Mozart to Max Richter with elements of design, lighting, projection and animation that place the orchestra inside ancient visions of the solar system. Hoping for an experience that’s out of this world (sorry…).
St Mark’s Church, Primrose Hill
Friday 14 June, 6.30pm - 9.30pm, £35
Lie down and absorb meditative contemporary classical music performed by choral singers Genesis Sixteen and pianist Christina McMaster. The concert is preceded by a short meditation and restorative yoga sequence and followed by hot chocolate and mingling. Cushions, mats and blankets are provided so curl up and relax!
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Friday 7 June, 6pm, FREE
A dramatic presentation of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony using stories, movement and multimedia to weave together historical, personal, and fictional responses, opening up an entirely new way of experiencing the music for both players and audience.
Kindred, Hammersmith
Sunday 30 June, 12pm-3pm, £30
London’s classical brunch concert series is back! Enjoy a two-course brunch and a mimosa while feasting on live performances by violinist Philippa Mo and harpist Olivia Jageurs. Programme includes music by Bach, Handel and a selection of living composers.
Bonn Square, Oxford
Saturday 22 June, 10am-2pm, FREE
One of the most uplifting and high-energy orchestras is touring to Oxford for one day only, popping up with free concerts as part of Oxford Festival of the Arts. Music by Scarlatti, Tchaikovsky and Alma Mahler is presented alongside the Super Mario Medley (!), Clean Bandit and Paul McCartney. Go prepared for audience participation…
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Thursday 20 June, 2pm-10pm, FREE
Sarah Willis, the first female member of the Berlin Philharmonic’s brass section is coming from Berlin to Brum for a day of French horn immersion. There are whispers of a horn flashmob in an undisclosed location…
The Atrium, Kentish Town Health Centre
Friday 28 June, 7.45pm, £12 (free for Camden residents on low income)
What does it feel like to return home after active service to face your family, your friends and your community after experiencing the trauma of war? Ex-soldiers explore the painful process of homecoming in a new piece, a moving and inspiring combination of music and drama called The Way, alongside a performance of Stravinsky’s iconic The Soldier’s Tale.
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Thursday 13 June, 1pm-9.30pm, FREE
What possibilities lie ahead for the music creators of the future with artificial intelligence, virtual reality, live coding and more besides? A fascinating day of cutting-edge ideas, performances, demos and debate with contributions from Explore Ensemble and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy.
Unicorn Theatre, London Bridge
11 May - 2 June, 2pm & 7pm, £8-£24
Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas reimagined for the modern age: from Queen of Carthage to single mum in Bermondsey. This contemporary production for teenagers and adults will be an incredible first experience for some and for others a chance to see a familiar opera in a new light. Sung with an on-stage seven-piece orchestra.
Hannah Fiddy is a creative entrepreneur, developing new audiences for classical music. She has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs, museums, hospitals, prisons and even in Primark. Hannah also hosts monthly drinks for the classical music industry and runs a choir in Stoke Newington. Her alter ego is the Founder of London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @Hannah_Fiddy.