<img src='' title='Event Category: Music' alt='' id='templ_icon_' width='' height='' /> Event Category: Music

Are you musically curious?

Why does a groove make us move? How do musicians from different traditions understand one another? Can a seashell become an instrument?

Join musician, composer and Hackney Colliery Band leader Steve Pretty for a variety show that takes music apart and puts it back together live.

Through performances, conversation, demonstrations and spontaneous collaborations, Steve and his guests explore where musical ideas come from, how they work and why they affect us.

Previous live guests have included comedian Robin Ince, Pink Floyd bassist Guy Pratt, jazz star Theon Cross and Tony Award-winner Frances Ruffelle.

Based on Steve’s podcast On the Origin of the Pieces (“wide-ranging and insightful” — Guardian), the show roams across genres, cultures, science and the musical brain.

No musical knowledge is required: whether you’re a seasoned musician or shower singer, you’ll leave with new ways to hear, understand and enjoy the music you love.

With special guest Beardyman

Joining Steve Pretty for an evening of music, chat and musical surprises is Beardyman: twice UK beatboxing champion, comedian and a pioneer of live looping. Using his voice and his own music-making technology, he creates tracks on the spot, combining extraordinary vocal skills with quick-thinking improvisation and humour.

More guests to be announced.

Weblinks:

Podcast: www.originofthepieces.com
Steve Pretty: www.stevepretty.com
Hackney Colliery Band: www.hackneycollieryband.co.uk

Three witches sing to Macbeth, a power too great for a human. The Tiger Lillies and La Perla 29
take us to the heart of this story in a show-concert that blends the live music of the London
trio with the aesthetics of the Catalan company. Guided by accordions, ukuleles, brand-new
songs, emotional ballads, and three great actors, this special company creates a new way to
tell this impactful story that speaks of power and war, guilt, blood-stained hands, death, spells,
dark nights, fog, and the indelible memory of crimes committed by excessive ambition.

Poor Macbeth, deluded, who killed the king to place the crown on his head. Three witches
promise him power, and he enters the fatal labyrinth of ambition. The serpentine tongue of
Lady Macbeth and the paranoia of the throne drive him to commit the most despicable crimes,
and the gears of war and fear turn without anyone being able to stop them. Ah, poor tyrant,
when he faces his guilty conscience every evening of the longest and darkest night. What a
childish man, the despot, who kills and kills without knowing how to love. What ray of dawn
can pierce these blood-soaked clouds? Where has freedom gone? The three Tiger Lillies sing to
Macbeth, a power too great for a human soul.

“If you’ve never encountered Macbeth before, now is the time to step into his dark kingdom. And if you have, you’ve never experienced it in a format like the one Broggi and The Tiger Lillies have created. Step right in.” – Sergi Doria, ABC

Presented by VERYFINE

The award-winning live show returns to Wilton’s Music Hall for another night of music and storytelling.  

An engaging cross between Desert Island Discs, TED Talks and The Moth, OneTrackMinds asks a selection of five guests to tell a story about one song that has changed their life – before we play that song to the audience. 

Previous guests have included: Sir David Suchet, Katie Melua, Jane Horrocks, Harry Hill, Peter Tatchell, Inua Ellams, Tom Basden, Jessie Buckley, Deborah Frances White and Chris Difford.  

“This show is like stepping into a warm bath” – Vanessa Kisuule 

“A London institution waiting to happen” – Erica Buist 

WINNER – Audience Award – Bitesize Festival 2024  

Los Angeles-born pianist, arranger and composer Brian Clemens and vocal jazz star Francesca Confortini return to Wilton’s Music Hall with The 20th Century Jukebox, two nights celebrating an eclectic mix of music from across the century. 

From classic swing and the Great American Songbook to Hollywood, James Bond, Motown, The Beatles, pop, rock and beyond, the Brian Clemens Big Band puts its own stamp on some of the century’s most memorable music. Familiar favourites sit alongside unexpected choices, original songs and bold new arrangements, brought to life by a roaring big band featuring some of London’s finest musicians. 

Following previous Wilton’s performances and UK theatre dates with Songs of the Silver Screen and Broadway to the West End, Clemens and Confortini return with a programme that brings together audience favourites and new surprises. Praised by The Spy in the Stalls as “a whirlwind ride through the music world,” the show showcases the musical chemistry between Clemens and Confortini, whose powerful vocals have been heard alongside artists including Cat Stevens and Rod Stewart. 

“It’s rare to sit amid such a spellbound audience, transfixed by the narration and the music – and, yes, there were tears”  The Observer

“It’s so, so beautiful” Scott Matthewman, The Reviews Hub

Returning for the third year in a row, this atmospheric presentation of James Joyce’s masterpiece by The Fourth Choir fits Wilton’s like a glove. Maybe that’s why all previous performances have sold out a month in advance – so don’t wait to book.

Image Night, Trinity Churchyard – Victoria Garland

Jazz Noël is all about bringing people together through the warmth and joy of live music during the festive season. Blending well-loved Christmas tunes made famous by legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole with fresh, modern jazz arrangements creates a sound that feels both familiar and exciting.

A tight, groove-driven rhythm section lays the foundation for the evening, joined by a rich four-horn line-up that adds depth, colour, and energy, alongside two outstanding vocalists who bring personality, warmth, and flair to every song. From relaxed, soulful moments that capture the calm of a winter evening to upbeat, feel-good grooves that reflect the buzz of the holidays, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The musicians interact in a natural, conversational way, adding spontaneity and fun to each performance.

Whether you’re a lifelong jazz fan or simply looking for a great night out in the run-up to Christmas, Jazz Noël offers a welcoming, uplifting experience that captures the spirit of the season in a fresh and engaging way!    

www.jazznoel.co.uk

These Memories May Be True

An evening exploring what home means, how we hold onto it, and how we carry it with us when we have to leave, with music by Reena Esmail, Bushra el-Turk, Lembit Beecher, Piazzolla, Vaughan Williams and Copland. Part of CLS’s wider season exploring asylum and migration in the UK.

This concert was born from a year of conversations in a community kitchen, between musicians and people who are seeking asylum in the UK, about the memories of people, places and lives they had left behind and their hopes for the future they are building. Scents and sounds so evocative and distinct that they conjure us through time, space and memory to a particular place.

The musical programme moves across continents, borders and centuries. Reena Esmail writes from the meeting-point of Indian and Western classical traditions. Bushra el-Turk draws on her Lebanese heritage. Lembit Beecher gives life to his Estonian grandmother in five luminous minutes of string quartet. Piazzolla evokes Buenos Aires in a single, heartbroken melody. Vaughan Williams reaches into the English folk tradition for something ancient and aching. And Copland’s Appalachian Spring distils an entire American spirit; pioneering, optimistic and alive with hope.

It feels fitting that this evening takes place at Wilton’s Music Hall, off Cable Street; a place with its own deep history of community, resistance and refuge.

With a performance interweaving orchestral music with words and stories, this is an evening that asks what binds us to a place — and to each other.

Musicians – City of London Sinfonia 
Alexandra Wood – CLS Creative Director and Leader 
Majid Adin – Projection Designer and Visual Artist

The story of a sound that inspired decades of vocal music. 

In Paris 1962, Ward Swingle assembled a group of session singers and had them sing Bach as if it were jazz. He described the sound “as if the singers were whispering in the audience’s ear.” 

The records that followed won Grammy awards, inspired the genre we now recognise as modern a cappella, and crafted a sound that has carried The Swingle Singers for sixty years. 

Close-Mic Classics continues that story, showing how Ward’s writing and arranging shaped a genre, and is still present in how the current group arranges and composes over six decades later. 

With Ward’s centenary only months away, come and celebrate this legacy with The Swingle Singers as they perform his original arrangements in the oldest grand music hall in the world. 

Hear live some of the celebrated reimaginings of Bach, jazz standards, and original writing that made The Swingle Singers a household name.  

Presented by VERYFINE

The award-winning live show returns to Wilton’s Music Hall for another night of music and storytelling.  

An engaging cross between Desert Island Discs, TED Talks and The Moth, OneTrackMinds asks a selection of five guests to tell a story about one song that has changed their life – before we play that song to the audience. 

Previous guests have included: Sir David Suchet, Katie Melua, Jane Horrocks, Harry Hill, Peter Tatchell, Inua Ellams, Tom Basden, Jessie Buckley, Deborah Frances White and Chris Difford.  

“This show is like stepping into a warm bath” – Vanessa Kisuule 

“A London institution waiting to happen” – Erica Buist 

WINNER – Audience Award – Bitesize Festival 2024  

Guests at this performance will include:

Katherine May (writer, author of WINTERING)
Ishan Ganjoor (writer, comedian)
Tom Ward (comedian)
Ben Pope (comedian, writer, bookseller)
Donna Bonner (Hidden Tracks storyteller)

The Salts are one of the most exciting and energetic folk concepts around, performing original material alongside unique interpretations of traditional sea shanties.  From the chilly windswept shores of the UK to the tropical lagoons of South America, a voyage of seafaring songs and shanty-based folk awaits.  

The band features five seasoned musicians delivering full-on harmonies, great musicianship and a splash of humour. Drawing from their vastly different musical backgrounds, the result is a unique take on homegrown songs and maritime classics. In short, 21st century folk fires a respectful broadside at the traditional. 

Line-up:  
Lee Collinson – guitar/banjo/vocals  
Jeremy Hart– guitar/vocals  
Brian Bull – mandolin/vocals  
Richard Nash – drums/vocals  
Tim Cantrell – double bass/vocals