Packed programme for 2019-20 International Concert Series
Staff and students can hear a range of the finest classical and contemporary music right here on campus.
Ebonit Saxophone Quartet are one of the many exciting acts performing on campus for the 2019-20 University of Leeds International Concert Series
The 2019-20 University of Leeds International Concert Series continues to make a major contribution to the cultural life of Leeds. Committed to quality and artistic excellence, the Series continues to employ high-calibre professional musicians.
Concerts are directly related to the teaching and research outputs of the School of Music and other areas of the University. And many of them are free to attend.
Concert Series Coordinator, Jessica Ward, said: “I am delighted to introduce this season of diverse concert programmes and look forward to welcoming audiences to Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall.”
The 2019-20 Series began with a special broadcast of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune live from Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, with performances by Leeds Lieder and Opera North musicians alongside students from the School of Music.
Other highlights of this season include a celebration of the work of Peter Warlock in his 125th birthday year, pianist Richard Uttley performing Brahms’ third piano sonata, a concert of contemporary cello music with Séverine Ballon and the Ebonit Saxophone Quartet.
We look forward to welcoming the Black Dyke Band back to the University in 2020, acknowledging the early works of Beethoven in his 250th birthday year, collaborating with Leeds Lieder with performances by Fatma Said and Nicky Spence, and celebrating the 30th anniversary of Friends of University Art of Music.
The remaining programme is outlined below. Admission is free, unless otherwise stated.
A Breath In Time
Friday 18 October, 1.05-1.55pm
British 20th century music for oboe and string trio. Jonathan and the Meiningen Ensemble perform two works written for Léon Goossens, as well as introducing Alan Richardson’s evocative work written for his partner, the oboist Janet Craxton.
Student Showcase
Friday 25 October, 1.05-1.55pm
An opportunity to hear work by students on performance courses in the School of Music. Programme to be announced.
Peter Warlock 125th Birthday Concert
Wednesday 30 October, 6-8pm
Celebrating the 125th birthday of the British composer, editor and music critic, Peter Warlock (1894-1930), this concert includes songs by Warlock and some of his contemporaries, along with examples of Warlock’s piano music and choral works.
Pianist Richard Uttley, who will perform Brahms’ third piano sonata. Image: Cathy Pyle
Richard Uttley
Friday 1 November, 1.05-1.55pm
Noted for the integrity and breadth of his musicianship as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist, Richard Uttley, has been recognised for his “musical intelligence and pristine facility” (International Record Review), “amazing decisiveness” and “tumultuous performance” (Daily Telegraph).
From Bach to Bates will be performed by A4 Brass Quartet
A4 Brass Quartet: From Bach to Bates
Friday 8 November, 1.05-1.55pm
A4 Brass Quartet comprises of principal players from some of the UK’s top brass bands, including Brighouse & Rastrick and Foden’s. With “technical virtuosity in abundance” (Brass Band World), these four astonishing musicians come together to perform both lyrical and high-octane works, forming a distinctive and new take on chamber music.
Student Showcase
Friday 15 November, 1.05-1.55pm
Another opportunity to hear work by students on performance courses in the School of Music. Programme to be announced.
Séverine Ballon will perform a concert of contemporary cello music
Séverine Ballon
Friday 15 November, 7.30-9.30pm
Séverine Ballon‘s work focuses on regular performance of key works of the cello repertoire, as well as numerous collaborations with composers. In addition, her researches as an improviser have helped her to extend the sonic and technical resources of her instrument.
Tickets £8 in advance or £10 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
Film screening: The Fire of Olympus
Saturday 16 November, 7.30-9.30pm
The Fire Of Olympus or, On Sticking It To The Man, is a radical re-imagining of Greek mythology. An opera presented in film, it tells the legends of Prometheus and Pandora, and the theft of the secret of Fire from Zeus, the all-powerful President of Olympus, by prankster-led political activists. Resonant with and relevant to the modern world and contemporary issues, it is filled with drama, passion, politics, tragedy and comedy.
Prior to the screening, there will be a Q&A with a panel including composer Tim Benjamin, Radius Opera’s music director, Ellie Slorach, plus other special guests.
Tickets £6 in advance or £8 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
Clothworkers Consort of Leeds is joined by the early music group, Eboracum Baroque, and bass soloist, Stuart O’Hara, for a programme of music in celebration of St Cecilia’s Day
Welcome to all the Pleasures: Odes for St Cecilia's Day
Friday 22 November, 1.05-1.55pm
The Clothworkers Consort of Leeds are joined by the early music group, Eboracum Baroque, and bass soloist, Stuart O’Hara, for a programme of music in celebration of St Cecilia’s Day. The concert will feature Henry Purcell’s trumpet sonata, his Cecilian ode Welcome to all the pleasures, and the modern premiere of William Norris’s Begin the noble song, written for a St Cecilia’s Day celebration in Lincoln in 1693.
Ebonit Saxophone Quartet
Friday 29 November, 1.05-1.55pm
The Ebonit Saxophone Quartet is a sparkling and inspired ensemble founded in 2011 at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music. The four musicians from Poland, the Netherlands and Spain have quickly made themselves a name in the Netherlands and abroad, performing in major halls including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, De Singel in Antwerp, Musikverein in Vienna, Konzerthaus in Berlin and Liszt Academy Solti Hall in Budapest.
School of Music Choir and Orchestra
Saturday 30 November, 7-9.30pm
In the second half of the concert, the School of Music Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Pelly, present a programme of mid-century orchestral entertainments.
The Golden Thread: Music for Gamelan
Friday 6 December, 1.05-1.55pm
The University of Leeds Gamelan Ensemble will perform a collection of tradition music, contemporary repertoire and new pieces on the School of Music’s Javanese Gamelan. This set of bronze gongs and metallophones, named The Gold Thread in reference to Leeds’ strong connections with the textile industry, was hand-crafted in the court city of Surakarta in Central Java 16 years ago. The ensemble is directed by Ángel Cataño Flores.
Ian Pace
Friday 6 December, 7.30-9.30pm
Ian Pace is a pianist of long-established reputation, specialising in the farthest reaches of musical modernism and transcendental virtuosity, as well as a writer and musicologist focusing on issues of performance, music and society and the avant-garde.
Tickets £8 in advance or £10 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
Merry Little Christmas with Opera North Youth Company
Saturday 7 December, 5-7pm
The acclaimed Opera North children’s Chorus and Young Voices are delighted to be back at the Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall to celebrate Christmas! Get in the festive spirit, enjoy seasonal favourites and sing along to popular Christmas carols. A concert not to be missed, which will appeal to adults and children alike.
Tickets £8 for adults and £5 for children.
Vocal group The Ladenses 6
The Ladenses 6
Friday 13 December, 1.05-1.55pm
The Ladenses 6 are a vocal group who met during their studies at the University of Leeds. Having formed in September 2018, they have had a very successful first year of concerts. Their own events aim to bring choral music to a wider audience by choosing unique venues and creating a relaxed performance environment. Programme to include music by Palestrina, Rheinberger, Holst, MacMillan and Todd.
A Poet’s Journey
Friday 10 January, 7.30-9.30pm
“When words leave off, music begins”, wrote the 19th century German poet, Heinrich Heine. No composer set Heine as magically as Schumann, and audiences have a rare chance to hear a complete performance of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, the original 20 Heine songs, rather than the 16 usually given. Well-known and well-loved by audiences around the globe, Mark Padmore returns to Leeds on the back of an extraordinary season. Artist in Residence with the Berlin Philharmonic and Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestras, he was awarded a CBE this year and performs at all the major music centres. This recital also includes Britten’s rarely performed Scots songs, Who are these children?, alongside Mahler’s transcendental Rückert-Lieder.
Tickets £18 in advance or £20 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
Spanish Sun and Songs from Europe
Monday 27 January, 7.30-9.30pm
Few artists have captured the hearts of Leeds audiences quite like Fatma Said, who gave one of the most enthusiastically received recitals of recent years at the 2019 Leeds Lieder Festival. A mixture of extraordinary vocal technique and oodles of charm and charisma, we are thrilled that she returns to Leeds so soon after her auspicious début. A favourite at La Scala in Milan and the Salzburg Festival, she has recently signed a major recording contract with Warner. Programme to include Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Manuel de Falla and George Gershwin.
Tickets £18 in advance or £20 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
The Diary of One Who Disappeared
Saturday 7 March, 7.30-9.30pm
Reviewing his 2019 Leeds Lieder recital, the Sunday Times described Nicky Spence as a “tenor who combines heroic tone and a poetic sensibility that takes the breath away”. We are thrilled that he returns to Leeds with a repertoire he has very much made his own, and with regular duo-partner, Joseph Middleton.
Tickets £18 in advance or £20 on the door. Free to students and under-16s.
Visit the Series website for further information and details of how to book tickets.
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