Planet Hugill

The Shire Hall, Presteigne; photographed by Percy Benzie Abery c. 1910s This year’s Presteigne Festival, the 42nd, runs from 22 to 26 August 2024, bringing music and art to the Welsh Marches. For 2024, the festival […]

Founded four years ago by artistic director Joshua Ballance, the High Barnet Chamber Music Festival is returning with three concerts from 29 June to 12 July 2024 at St John the Baptist Church and the new […]

Melia Simonot, winner of inaugural BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year 21-year-old accordion player Melia Simonot was announced as the winner of BBC Radio Scotland’s inaugural Young Classical Musician of the Year competition, […]

Pasadena Roof Orchestra at Green Room in 2023 At a time when arts funding is at a perilous low, it is heartening to see a new venture thriving. Green Room launched last year, it is […]

Ben Edge: Devil’s Den Shadwell Opera, artistic director Jack Furness, music director Finnegan Downie Dear, is presenting its first full-length commissioned opera on Saturday 15 June when the company performs Isabella Gellis‘ The Devil’s Den […]

Rossini: The Barber of Seville – Paul Grant – Opera Holland Park 2024 (Photo: Ali Wright) Rossini: The Barber of Seville; Paul Grant, Elgan Llŷr Thomas, Heather Lowe, Stephen Gadd, Jihoon Kim, Janis Kelly, director: […]

Handel: Alcina – Yolisa Ngwexana (Morgana) – Guildhall School (Photo: David Monteith-Hodge) Handel: Alcina; Georgie Malcolm, Yolisa Ngwexana, Samantha Hargreaves, Shana Moron-Caravel, Julia Merino, Jonah Halton, Alaric Green, director: John Ramster, conductor: James Henshaw; Guildhall […]

Wagner: Götterdämmerung – Lee Bisset as Brünnhilde – Longborough Festival Opera, 2024 (Photo: Matthew Williams-Ellis) Thankfully, Longborough Festival Opera’s 2025 season continues under the guidance of their esteemed and long-standing music director, Anthony Negus, who, […]

Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius; Nicky Spence, Andrew Foster-Williams, Anna Stéphany , Gabrieli Consort, Gabrieli Roar, Polish National Youth Choir, Gabrieli Players; Winged LionReviewed 3 June 2024 A profoundly satisfying and highly intelligent account, […]

Matthew Barley [Photo: Madeleine Farley] When I first interviewed cellist Matthew Barley back in 2012 [see my interview], he was preparing for an amazing 100-venue tour of Britain for Britten 2013, combining Britten and Bach […]