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Bampton Classical Opera’s Paris and Helen at St John’s Smith Square in September

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BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA 2021 –  Christoph Willibald Gluck Paris and Helen
(1770 – 250th anniversary production)

FIRST-EVER LONDON STAGING, ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE, FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER

‘..a work of shining beauty, an exquisite, at moments rapturous outpouring of romantic lyricism with few parallels in 18th-century opera‘  Max Loppert, Opera Magazine

Following performances at Bampton in July, and Westonbirt School on 30 August, Bampton Classical Opera (click here) will bring their highly-praised production of Gluck’s major work, Paride ed Elena to St John’s Smith Square on 24 September, which will be the first-ever London staging of this opera.

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Sergei Polunin returns to London for one night of conversation and dance

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AN EVENING OF DANCE AND CONVERSATION WITH SERGEI POLUNIN
FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER 2021, 7.30 PM AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

Sergei Polunin © Albert Watson

Join world-renowned iconic ballet dancer, actor and artist SERGEI POLUNIN at a one-night-only unique appearance: an unmissable evening of intimate conversation and UK premieres of new solos live on-stage at London’s Palladium theatre, to celebrate the publication of his autobiography FREE: A LIFE IN IMAGES AND WORDS (teNeues Publishing, 2021, click here).

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Glyndebourne announces their operas and casts for 2022

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Glyndebourne Festival 2022

Glyndebourne was determined to proceed with its 2021 Festival and chose to invest in a significantly loss-making event in order to provide vital work for staff and freelancers and to stay connected to audiences. This necessitated changes to its original programme and normal working practices in order to accommodate social distancing measures. Among the adaptations were reduced orchestrations and choruses, performing company bubbles and regular testing of performers and staff.

Despite the challenges, the company successfully presented five operas, including three new socially distanced productions from international creative teams – Káťa Kabanová, Il turco in Italia and Luisa Miller – a semin-staging of Tristan und Isolde and a concert series featuring the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (read reviews on Seen and Heard).

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Emerging Dancer: A Celebration and English National Ballet in 2021/22

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English National Ballet’s New Season

Recent updates as rehearsals for English National Ballet’s 2021-2022 Season begin.

Emerging Dancer: A Celebration – 9 September 2021

Whilst a reduction in live performance has made it impossible to select Emerging Dancer finalists and People’s Choice Award winners this year, English National Ballet continues to recognise the excellence of its Artists with Emerging Dancer: A Celebration. This special event features performances from previous winners and will be live streamed on YouTube and the ENB at Home platform from the Holloway Production Studio in the company’s east London home, the Mulryan Centre for Dance, on (please note new date)  9 September 2021.

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20th Oxford Lieder Festival – 8 to 23 October 2021

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Nature’s Songbook – 20th Oxford Lieder Festival from 8 to 23 October 2021 

  • Oxford Lieder, the UK’s biggest festival of song, marks its 20th year with its most ambitious programme to date, featuring more than 100 events, both in-person and livestreamed
  • 20 new works will be premiered across the 20th-anniversary season, including five major song cycles
  • World-class singers and pianists, alongside emerging stars, take to the stage for song recitals, complemented by piano, chamber and choral works
  • An extensive series of Song Connections events forges links between music, poetry, nature, art, language and science, ensuring multiple access points to the world of song
  • A flexible range of ticket prices starting at just £3 for online streaming access, with a choice of discounts & concessionary rates, makes the Festival accessible to all.

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City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2021/22

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CBSO announces September 2021 – January 2022 season

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) returns to its full strength and range of activities this autumn, sharing the talents and ambition of the entire CBSO family of ensembles with audiences in its home city and beyond. From large-scale symphonies at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue, and unplugged gigs in Hockley Social Club to workshops in schools, the orchestra will offer communities throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands the crucial opportunity to re-engage with live music and culture this autumn.

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The BBC Proms update: full capacity in 2021, mystery Proms are announced and attention Prommers

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BBC Proms has revealed details of the four mystery Proms taking place this summer

In response to the ever developing pandemic landscape, planning these concerts was held to enable the festival to be flexible and respond to the changing times. For the first time, the Proms Festival Orchestra will come together for a concert on Wednesday 8 September. Made up exclusively of freelance musicians, conductor Mark Wigglesworth will lead the orchestra in Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and Mahler’s Symphony No.5.

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