HARMONY WITH NATURE – 05 –
Exploring our relationship with the natural world through music this season
THE LPO LABEL AT 20 – 09 –
Celebrating our recording milestone – and our players’ highlights from the last 20 years
BACKSTAGE – 16 –
Behind the scenes with newly-promoted Principal Trumpet, Tom Nielsen
Welcome to the Autumn/Winter 2025 edition of Tune In
We have such an exciting season ahead. From the opening concert at the Royal Festival Hall, when the Orchestra is joined by Principal Conductor Edward Gardner and pianist Yefim Bronfman; to tours across South Korea and Europe; and many great community projects in London and along the South Coast, there’s so much to look forward to!
Our London season for 2025/26 is built around the theme of ‘Harmony with Nature’. We’re really excited to share some exceptional programmes exploring the relationship between nature and music – find out more on page 5. Alongside our concerts, look out for an exciting series of talks and events to enrich your experience, which we hope to announce around the start of the season. We already have some very exciting speakers lined up, and can’t wait to share more news with you soon!
This autumn also includes a Royal Festival Hall concert celebrating the 45th year of our Patronage by HRH The Duke of Kent, as well as His Royal Highness’s 90th birthday. This special concert on 26 November features an all-Elgar programme conducted by Edward Gardner, and there’ll be more Elgar from Ed later in the season, when he conducts another programme dedicated entirely to the composer at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre (see page 14).
This year we’re also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the LPO Label. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the most recorded orchestras in the world, and the Label was founded in 2005 to continue this
EDITOR Rachel Williams
rachel.williams@lpo.org.uk
PUBLISHER London Philharmonic Orchestra
PRINTER John Good Ltd
COVER IMAGE Harmony with Nature season design by JMG Studio
JESÚS HERRERA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
DAVID BURKE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
fine tradition and capture some of the best and most critically important concerts of each season. We hope you enjoy reading about the newest releases – and some of our players’ highlights – on pages 6 and 7. If you’d like to read more, scan the QR code on page 6 to access a special Gramophone magazine issue featuring archive interviews with Ed, Vladimir Jurowski and Klaus Tennstedt.
It’s always exciting to share more news of our expanding Education & Community work. On page 10, read about our new project with Headway East London, where we’ve been creating music with people living with acquired brain injuries. We hope you find it inspiring – our sincere thanks to Dr Irene Rosner David for supporting this work. On page 11 you can read about our partnership with homelessness charity Crisis UK, our recent schools’ concert in Eastbourne, and
JESÚS HERRERA 04
HARMONY WITH NATURE 05
THE LPO LABEL AT 20 06–07
SUMMER ROUNDUP 08
NEW & NOTEWORTHY 09
HEADWAY 10
COMMUNITY ROUNDUP 11
LPO PEOPLE 12
CONCERT LISTINGS 13–15
BACKSTAGE: TOM NIELSEN 16
how our work with Drake Music resulted in an invitation to the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition – a rare accolade for an arts organisation. These projects are some of the most enriching experiences for our musicians as well as the participants –making music alongside human connections, and in doing so, enhancing people’s lives.
Finally, you will notice a new co-signature of this Welcome page. The Orchestra was delighted to welcome Jesús Herrera as our new Artistic Director in June. You can find out a little more about Jesús on page 4, and he’ll be at all our concerts this season, so do stop him (or either of us!) and say hello. We both hope to see you soon.
With best wishes,
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The paper used for all LPO brochures and concert programmes has been sourced from well-managed FSCⓇ -certified forests, recycled materials, and other controlled sources. It is also Carbon Balanced, meaning the carbon impact of its production is offset by the World Land Trust through the purchase and preservation of ecologically important forestry under imminent threat of clearance. In the production of this Tune In issue, 0.362 tonnes of CO2 equivalent was offset through Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) reduction projects.
In June we welcomed Jesús Herrera as the Orchestra’s new Artistic Director. As he settled into his role ahead of the new season, we took the opportunity to chat to Jesús about his path to the LPO –and what excites him about the journey ahead.
Welcome, Jesús! It’s great to welcome you to the LPO. Going back to when it all began, do you remember the very first time music made an impression on you?
As a child growing up in Spain, my family wasn’t musical at all, but when I was around three years old my parents bought a CD player. It came with a few CDs: ‘The Best of Mozart’, ‘The Best of Beethoven’ and so on, and I would play those CDs and just sit there quietly, listening. I already loved it. Later, when I was at school, a classmate told me he was taking piano lessons. I realised that you could actually learn to play – someone could teach you. When I visited his house and heard him play, I was amazed. I asked my mum if I could learn the piano too. From there, it all developed naturally. I became more serious about it, began entering competitions, and eventually studied with some incredible teachers. At some point, I realised I simply couldn’t live without music.
So were you considering a career as a professional pianist?
Absolutely – I was determined to be a performer. I practised over ten hours a day,
entered countless competitions, and was fortunate to study with legendary teachers like Alicia de Larrocha in Spain, Aldo Ciccolini in Paris and Cordelia Höfer in Salzburg, along with many others. For a long time, I thought performing would be my path. But when I began organising concerts, I realised how much it meant to me to share musical experiences with others. Playing piano can be quite lonely – even in chamber music or orchestras, there are many hours spent practising alone. For me, working collaboratively to bring people together and create and share something meaningful is even more rewarding.
So how did your journey evolve from piano performance to a career in concert management?
In my student accommodation in Paris, there was a small hall with a piano, and I started hosting concerts for friends and fellow students. I loved bringing people together to share music. I had no idea what I was doing, but I loved seeing an idea become a live event on stage, with musicians and audiences sharing that moment. Eventually I went back to university to study arts management, which led to internships –including at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow – and opportunities to work with musicians from top orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic. I went on to work at agencies in Paris, Madrid and London, gaining a bird’s-eye view of the classical music world and how orchestras and festivals operate in different countries and cultures. That global perspective fascinated me. Coming from a non-musical family, I’d always had to figure things out myself, and that same curiosity still drives me – I’m constantly researching composers, works and performance traditions. From agencies and entrepreneurial projects, it was a natural evolution into orchestral management. I had the privilege of running a wonderful
orchestra in Spain [the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León], developing tours, recordings and community projects with passionate musicians and audiences. Now, I’m excited to bring that experience to this phenomenal orchestra.
What was it that drew you to the role of Artistic Director of the LPO?
I’ve admired the LPO for many years, especially their intelligent, thoughtprovoking programming. These are concerts built around ideas, not just repertoire pairings, which gives them a distinctive, human quality. This is truly a dream job, and I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity. The LPO is a world-class orchestra with a 93-year legacy, but it’s also shaping the future of orchestral music. This role allows me to channel my energy into bold ideas and making them happen: supporting extraordinary musicians, engaging enthusiastic audiences, and deepening connections with our communities in London, along the South Coast and beyond. The Orchestra’s work extends far beyond the concert hall, touching schools, families and all kinds of diverse communities. Strengthening all those layers of connection is both a privilege and a responsibility.
How do you see the role of orchestral music in today’s society?
I see classical music becoming an essential refuge in our fast-paced lives: a space where people can pause, breathe, and truly connect with themselves and others. In a concert, you’re free from constant notifications and noise; you can focus entirely on the sound, the moment and the shared human experience. It’s as restorative as walking in a forest or meditating, but with the added richness of hundreds of years of creativity and expression. My dream is that more people discover that feeling – and make it part of their everyday lives.
Running through our new season is the theme of ‘Harmony with Nature’. Throughout the season, we’ll explore the relationship between nature and music that spans centuries, from Romantic masterpieces to works by today’s most compelling living composers.
This season, we’re inviting audiences to join us in exploring one of the most urgent conversations of our time – our relationship with the natural world – through the power of music.
We’ll marvel at oceans, forests, mountains and wildlife through works by Beethoven, Sibelius, Elgar and Dvořák; masterpieces of an era that saw nature as a mirror of human emotion – but also, perhaps, experienced it more immediately and organically than in the digital age. Closer to our own time, we’ll hear from voices as diverse as Duke Ellington, John Luther Adams, Gustavo Díaz-Jerez and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, who have all found an unquenchable source of creative energy in the processes of nature – from river deltas to volcanic eruptions.
Opening the series – and our brand new season – on Saturday 27 September is Ringed by the Flat Horizon by our new Composer-in-Residence Sir George Benjamin, conducted by Edward Gardner. It’s a vivid musical portrait of vast skies and looming storms – unsettling at times, but mesmerising in its stillness and power. It’s followed by Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Piano Concerto with soloist Yefim Bronfman, the work’s clear, harmonious structure echoing nature’s own sense of balance and design.
Later in the autumn we’ll explore more nature-inspired works like Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (22 October, performed alongside Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps); Sibelius’s shimmering tone-poem The Oceanides and Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony (31 October); and an evening of Elgar featuring In The South – evoking the sunshine of the Italian Riviera – and his evocative Sea Pictures (26 November).
We’ll hear how living composers have been inspired by nature, too: composed in 1994, Water Rings by Cambodian composer
Chinary Ung uses layering and delicate textures to mimic the natural ebb and flow of water (29 October, with Sibelius’s Violin Concerto and Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony). There are brand new works to experience: Gabriela Lena Frank’s Contested Eden (12 November) is a musical reflection on human-driven climate change – especially the recent apocalyptic wildfires in her native California. Expanding our view of nature beyond Earth, young British composer and researcher Robert Laidlow looks to the cosmos in the world premiere of Exoplanets (29 November), opening a concert that also includes Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3 and Bloch’s Schelomo with cellist Sheku Kannneh-Mason.
In the new year, the force of nature returns, from the rebirth of spring and life in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite (17 January), to Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals, accompanied by enchanting screen animations by Sandra Albukrek (15 April). Harmony with Nature is woven through every element of the concert on 21 March, which opens with John Luther Adams’s Become River, followed by the
European premiere of Clarice Assad’s earth-inspired concerto Terra: Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, and ends amid the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires in Piazzolla’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s classic. Similarly, nature is at the heart of our jazz-infused 17 April concert, pairing Duke Ellington’s The River Suite with Terence Blanchard’s A Tale of God’s Will: A Requiem for Katrina, a powerful musical testament to the trumpeter and composer’s native New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Throughout the season, we’ll also be announcing pre-concert events and talks featuring leading voices from the worlds of nature, wildlife and environmental action, as we explore how music can inspire care for our planet. We hope you’ll join us!
CHECK OUT THE FULL SEASON lpo.org.uk/harmony-with-nature
Back in May 2005, the LPO launched its own record label – a bold move that gave the Orchestra creative freedom and a platform to showcase its artistry and ambition. Since then, we’ve built a catalogue of over 130 releases, from landmark symphonies and archive recordings to bold new sounds.
As well as fresh takes on the classical repertoire, the LPO Label also reflects the Orchestra’s commitment to contemporary music, with albums dedicated to LPO Composers-inResidence including Mark-Anthony Turnage, Julian Anderson, Brett Dean and Tania León, as well as James MacMillan and Thomas Adès.
The Label also draws from the Orchestra’s rich archive and has helped revive underrepresented British voices including Michael Tippett – whose opera The Midsummer Marriage received its first new recording in over 50 years, earning a 2023 Gramophone Award. Captured live in concert in September 2021, this performance marked Edward Gardner’s debut as LPO Principal Conductor.
Holst’s The Planets – consistently the Label’s best-selling and most-streamed release – is just one of many recordings with Gardner’s predecessor, Vladimir Jurowski. The catalogue also boasts unforgettable recordings with earlier Principal Conductors such as Klaus Tennstedt, Bernard Haitink and Sir Adrian Boult, as well as highlights from our rich heritage of film projects.
To kick off the 20th anniversary celebrations, in May 2025 we released a special album pairing Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and The Bells with Edward Gardner. As well as CD, digital download and streaming, it was also released as a limited-edition double LP, with copies signed by Edward Gardner available to purchase exclusively from the LPO online
store (see bottom right of page). This was followed in June by another disc with Gardner, this time pairing Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. The Dvořák featured in Gardner’s LPO debut concert back in 2003, and has since become a signature work for the partnership. Later in June saw a disc of Britten works conducted by Gardner. It includes the worldfirst release of his own selections from The Prince of the Pagodas, and Robin Holloway’s orchestration of Winter Words with tenor Nicky Spence. The album opens with Britten’s orchestral masterpiece Sinfonia da Requiem. It was named Recording of the Week by Presto Music, and featured in Gramophone’s Top 5 Classical Releases of the Week.
On 4 July, we released a special recording celebrating Tania León’s time as LPO Composer-inResidence. The album features four of the Cuban-American composer’s works including the world premiere of LPO commission Raíces (Origins), as well as Horizons, Pasajes, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Stride
There’s still more to look forward to this year as our anniversary celebrations continue. Michael Tippett’s 20th-century oratorio A Child of Our Time, captured live in concert under Edward Gardner, is released on 5 September, featuring the London Philharmonic Choir, London Advent Chorale, and soloists Nadine Benjamin, Sarah
Connolly, Kenneth Tarver and Roderick Williams. This will be followed by Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 under Karina Canellakis on 24 October, and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, recorded at the 2022 BBC Proms with Edward Gardner, the LPC and the Hallé Choir, on 21 November. Mahler and Vladimir Jurowski fans, keep your eyes peeled too for an exciting release early in the New Year ... To make sure you’re first to hear all the latest LPO Label news, sign up to our e-list at lpo.org.uk/signup
SUBSCRIPTION DISCOUNT OFFER
In June, Gramophone magazine produced a special digital issue celebrating 20 years of the LPO Label. It includes archive interviews and reviews of more than 20 recordings from over the past two decades. Scan the QR code to read it now.
To mark our anniversary, Gramophone are offering Tune In readers an exclusive 20% discount on any print or digital subscription. Just visit magsubscriptions.com/lpo25 before 31 December 2025 and enter code LPO25 at checkout.
In May we launched a new LPO Label online store, with access to the entire catalogue of over 130 releases in one place for the first time. Whether you’re a CD or LP collector, or an audiophile wanting high-resolution downloads, we’ve got you covered! Check it out at lpo.ochre.store
We asked four of the Orchestra’s musicians to share their standout recordings from the past two decades. Inspired by their choices? Scan the QR codes to listen instantly on your choice of streaming service.
I particularly cherish this disc (LPO–0013), as it features two of my British musical heroes: conductor Vernon Handley, and composer (and former LPO Principal Trumpet) Malcolm Arnold. My first experience of Arnold’s music was playing his Tam O’Shanter Overture with various Scottish youth orchestras early in my orchestral journey. He wrote brilliantly for the piccolo, with something important to play in virtually every orchestral piece he composed. The beauty of this disc, though, is that it showcases some of his less familiar works, including the world premiere of a suite from the film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Arnold is sometimes unfairly dismissed as a composer of ‘lighter’ music, and there are certainly many very approachable works. But there’s a deeper and darker side to his output too, which can be heard in his Sixth Symphony, also included on this disc.
Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka (LPO–0091) was one of the first orchestral pieces I was lucky enough to play as a professional. Early in my career I had the privilege of performing it several times a week for the Royal Ballet. It was a wonderfully colourful production, and those images have stayed with me for all my concert performances. The vivid, visual elements, in addition to the sparkling instrumental writing, make it one of Stravinsky’s greatest scores. His Symphonies of Wind Instruments (on the same disc) doesn’t often appear in our schedule, so this was a treat to play. Stravinsky’s writing is so translucent, the sonorities of the different groups are crystal clear and quite austere in comparison to Petrushka, which was written a decade earlier. I highly recommend listening to this work, which is rarely heard in the concert hall.
Sue’s LPO chair is supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi.
I’ve chosen LPO-0005, which features Paavo Berglund conducting a strikingly contrasting pair of symphonies – Nos. 2 & 7 – by the composer with whom he was most closely associated: Jean Sibelius. Sibelius is one of my favourite composers, both to play and to listen to, and I was lucky to perform not only these two but also the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth symphonies with Paavo conducting. The horn parts might not look like much on the page – mostly just long notes! –but they’ve all been thought through in great detail in terms of chord spacing within the section. Precise rhythmic entries and long, sustained build-ups make this music very satisfying to perform. The Seventh has been a favourite of mine since studying it for A Level, and a bonus is that you can very clearly hear Paavo singing along and shouting encouragement throughout. Marvellous!
Of all our recordings, none stirs my heart like Rachmaninov’s The Isle of the Dead and Symphonic Dances with our remarkable former Principal Conductor, Vladimir Jurowski. This was one of the very first releases on the LPO Label (LPO-0004), and was recorded at two memorable Royal Festival Hall concerts in 2003 and 2004. In The Isle of the Dead, the hypnotic 5/8 rhythm rocks like the oars of a lone boatman, carrying us into the shadowed waters of Arnold Böcklin’s painting. Its dark beauty is at once unsettling and irresistible. Vladimir’s profound affinity for his native composer breathes life into every phrase, and in the Symphonic Dances, he draws out sweeping romance, shimmering colours, and aching nostalgia. For us, the performance was pure exhilaration; for the listener, I hope that joy radiates from every bar of this treasured CD.
On 2 July 2025, our annual Debut Sounds showcase concert took place at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall: this year a thrilling evening combining new music and poetry. Our five 2024/25 Young Composers – Joy Nkoyo, Niamh O’Donnell, Jorge Ramos, Zach Reading and Daniel Soley – all premiered works on the theme of memory, which they had been working on all year in collaboration with poets from the Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective. LPO players were joined on stage by musicians from our Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme, conducted by LPO Fellow Conductor Juya Shin. The project came together under the mentorship of outgoing LPO Composer-in-Residence, Tania León, and was a fitting end to her time with us. It’s been a real honour and pleasure to work with Tania over the last two seasons – as well as exciting new commissions and performances of her earlier works, she has continued her lifelong advocacy for the music of living composers as mentor to two cohorts of LPO Young Composers, providing invaluable guidance and expertise.
Watch the Debut Sounds concert free at youtube.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra
THE LPO YOUNG COMPOSERS PROGRAMME 2024/25 RECEIVED GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM JERWOOD FOUNDATION, ART MENTOR FOUNDATION LUCERNE, LARK MUSIC, SALLY GROVES MBE AND THE MARCHUS TRUST, WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE VAUGHAN WILLIAMS FOUNDATION.
THE FOYLE FUTURE FIRSTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2024/25 RECEIVED GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE FOYLE FOUNDATION, WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE BARBARA WHATMORE CHARITABLE TRUST, LUKE GARDINER AND INDIVIDUAL CHAIR SUPPORTERS.
THE LPO CONDUCTING FELLOWSHIP 2024/25 RECEIVED GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM GINI AND RICHARD GABBERTAS.
On 17 June 2025, we hosted our Illuminate Gala at London’s beautiful Battersea Arts Centre. With a sparkling reception, threecourse dinner, fine wines provided by our new Wine Partner, Lay & Wheeler, and exceptional music, we had the most wonderful evening and raised almost £240,000 to support the Orchestra’s vital artistic and social impact work both on and off the concert platform. We’d like to thank everyone who attended the Gala and all who generously supported via our Silent Auction and Education appeal. Thanks also to our Gala Sponsor, Flashpoint Venture Capital, for their generous support.
On 11 February 2025, the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra honoured legendary mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato with a Lifetime Achievement in Classical Music Award at our annual US Gala at New York’s Carnegie Hall. A woodwind quartet from the LPO were joined by cellist Sterling Elliot, pianist Sophia Zhou, students from LaGuardia High School and, of course, Joyce herself. The Gala raised nearly $200,000 to support the LPO to continue to foster and celebrate its special relationship with the US. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and all who support the AFLPO’s mission so generously.
Over the summer we returned for our annual residency at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, reuniting with Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati for performances of Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová, and the Festival’s first ever staging of Wagner’s Parsifal. We also performed in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with conductor Rory Macdonald, and Verdi’s Falstaff conducted by Sian Edwards. On 5 August we performed at the Edinburgh International Festival – our first appearance there in a decade – under the baton of Edward Gardner. We were joined at Usher Hall by pianist Beatrice Rana (pictured above) and the National Youth Choir of Scotland for a sold-out concert featuring Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Holst’s The Planets. The following week, on 10 August, we performed at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, where Edward Gardner conducted another sold-out concert featuring works by Sibelius, Tippett, Ravel and Debussy.
In September, just ahead of our London season opening, we’ll visit Belgium for two concerts at the Concertgebouw in Bruges with guest conductor Natalia Ponomarchuk. Later in the autumn, December brings a busy tour of nine cities in Germany with Edward Gardner and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Between these, we embark on a tour to South Korea from 14–18 October. This is a return visit for the Orchestra and Edward Gardner, following a hugely successful tour there in October 2023. We’ll return to the major cities of Seoul, Daejeon, Busan and Gyeonggi, performing alongside guest pianist Yeol Eum Son.
FULL TOUR LISTINGS ON PAGE 15.
We’re thrilled to welcome our new LPO Fellow Conductors, Nefeli Chadouli and Wilson Ng, who join the LPO family from September 2025. Guided by Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, they will become fully immersed in the life of the Orchestra over the next season.
Greek conductor Nefeli Chadouli was appointed an Associate Fellow for 2024–26 by the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, and is conductor of the Babylon Orchestra Berlin and the Berlin-Brandenburgisches Sinfonieorchester.
Described by Tatler Asia as ‘one of the world’s most acclaimed young conductors’, Hong Kong-born Wilson Ng is Principal Guest Conductor of the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic in South Korea. In 2018, aged just 28, he became Associate Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic, making him the youngest conductor ever appointed by the orchestra.
Launched in 2023, our LPO Conducting Fellowship seeks to support the development of world-class conductors of the future. Each season, the programme offers an opportunity to work closely with the Orchestra to two outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds currently under-represented in the profession.
Next year, we’re teaming up with the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate 25 years since the release of the first film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, back in 2001.
For the first time ever in the UK, fans will be able to experience the full trilogy over two epic weekends in April and May. Each film will be screened in HD on a massive 40-foot screen, while Howard Shore’s legendary score is performed live by the LPO, who first brought the iconic soundtrack to life. They’ll be joined by the London Philharmonic Choir and Trinity Boys Choir, all under the baton of Ludwig Wicki. Shore, whose sweeping score helped define Middle-earth for millions, expressed his excitement: ‘This music remains one of the creative high points of my life … The chance to experience the scores for all three films live, and played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, will be a truly memorable experience.’ As we went to print, the concerts were sold out, but for any updates visit royalalberthall.com
Wilson Ng makes his LPO concert debut on 14 February 2026 at Brighton Dome, conducting a programme of Broadway songs with soprano Danielle de Niese. Nefeli Chadouli makes her LPO concert debut on 19 April 2026 at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre with a programme of Price, Barber, Gershwin and Sibelius. Both Nefeli and Wilson will also conduct a range of family and schools’ concerts, and other performances and events throughout the season. We can’t wait to work with them!
This season we’ve once again joined with Marquee TV, the premium streaming service for arts and culture, to bring the LPO concert experience to you at home. A selection of our live concerts are streamed to watch free of charge for the first 48 hours, with no subscription required. You can watch on a smart TV, tablet, computer or smartphone.
In addition, Tune In readers can benefit from an exclusive 50% discount on a year’s subscription to Marquee TV, including new releases as well as its extensive back catalogue of the world’s best music, opera, theatre and dance. Head to discover.marquee.tv/50lpo and use code 50LPO.
THIS AUTUMN’S CONCERTS ON MARQUEE TV
RACHMANINOV’S SECOND SYMPHONY
FILMED 25 OCTOBER 2025
Mozart Overture, Idomeneo, K366
Mozart Masonic Funeral Music, K477
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25, K503
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
Karina Canellakis conductor
Paul Lewis piano
EDWARD GARDNER CONDUCTS
ELGAR
FILMED 26 NOVEMBER 2025
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Elgar Sea Pictures
Elgar Sospiri
Elgar Enigma Variations
Edward Gardner conductor
Beth Taylor mezzo-soprano
PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED IN SPRING 2026.
For all the latest news and streaming dates, sign up to our e-list at lpo.org.uk/signup
In May 2025, we began a new partnership with Headway East London, an organisation supporting people affected by acquired brain injuries. Over five days of shared stories, collaboration and music-making, together we created a space where creativity and connection flourished.
This spring marked the beginning of a new and rewarding chapter for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as we joined forces with Headway East London, an organisation supporting people living with acquired brain injuries, their families and carers.
Working across 13 London boroughs, Headway East London offers support and services for people with acquired brain injuries, meaning brain damage caused by something that happens after birth, like an accident or a stroke.
Led by workshop leader Aga SerugoLugo with LPO musicians Laura Vallejo (viola), Adam Collins (tuba) and Foyle Future First Hannah Williams (horn), the workshops took place at the Headway East London day centre in Hackney, where we spent five days exploring music in its most personal form. Not in a concert hall, but in a lively communal space where people more often gather to chat, play board games or pool, or relax with a cup of tea.
Each session began with the LPO musicians introducing their instruments, giving demos and answering questions, before performing short excerpts of pieces from our 2024/25 ‘Moments Remembered’ concert season – including music by Rossini, Richard Strauss and Tania León. We then used these as a starting point to create new music and write songs together. Anyone who wanted to join in could grab a percussion instrument, sing along or help write lyrics! The last hour of each session was spent in the music room, building on what we’d made to put together an original piece. At the end of each workshop, participants shared their creations informally with the group.
During the sessions we spoke about journeys, places and memories, and many of the songs and soundscapes created by the group reflected their lived experiences. On the day we explored journeys, the group created a song called Maiden Voyage, imagining a boat setting sail into the
unknown. On another day, they wrote about a sunny beach in Malta that turns stormy – a metaphor for change, and maybe, for life after injury too.
Over the five days we had the pleasure of meeting over 180 participants, ranging in age from their 20s to 70s. One participant told us: ‘I felt included … I couldn’t let go of the instrument. I felt really good. I felt proud of myself.’ Another described the workshops as ‘uplifting’ and ‘fun – a real change from the everyday.’ At the end of the project we asked participants to choose one word to sum up their experience, and these are illustrated in the wordcloud below, with the larger words being those most mentioned.
The journey didn’t end there. In June, some members of the group performed alongside our musicians at Headway Eats, the centre’s
I FELT INCLUDED AND NOT ABLE TO LET GO OF THE INSTRUMENT. I FELT REALLY GOOD. I FELT PROUD OF MYSELF. HEADWAY PARTICIPANT
community supper club, for around 100 people including their families and friends. That evening, the joy and confidence in the room was palpable. A Headway staff member summed it up best: ‘There were members who usually never join music sessions, singing and playing along, clearly loving every minute. I’ve lost count of how many times I have been asked by members “When are they coming back?!”’
THE
During the spring, our Crisis Creates project returned, offering creative performance opportunities to adults who have experienced, or are at risk of homelessness. Working with national charity Crisis UK, the project aims to improve participants’ wellbeing and confidence through self-expression, collaboration and developing creative skills. Over five days of workshops, Crisis members devise music and lyrics with LPO musicians and workshop leaders, inspired by the Orchestra’s repertoire. The group then perform their work at a free public concert on the Royal Festival Hall stage, with friends and family welcome, and attend an LPO concert later in the evening. We enjoyed working with a fantastic group of participants in March, pictured above after their Royal Festival Hall performance. One of them, ‘K’, wrote afterwards:
‘To me, one of the biggest barriers this project helps break down is the isolation and alienation that comes with homelessness. These kinds of activities – especially collective, creative ones – build trust, confidence and a real sense of integration. They also help “scrub off the rust” on social skills (something I think most of us dealing with homelessness end up carrying, along with all the stigma). I can’t stress enough how important this is. For me, this isolation is the hardest wall to climb. But the LPO? It’s special. It throws me into this space where I’m working in groups, learning my place: when to step back, when to listen and (sometimes) when to take the spotlight. What’s remarkable is how all this happens while we’re also gaining real, practical skills – keeping tempo, listening closely to harmonise, syncing up with a dozen others. It’s teamwork and discipline in action, but it never feels like work when you’re creating something beautiful together.’
We can’t wait for our next Crisis Creates project in March 2026! Find out more at lpo.org.uk/crisis-creates
CRISIS CREATES 2024/25 WAS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY SCOPS ARTS TRUST.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS THIS PROJECT HELPS BREAK DOWN IS THE ISOLATION AND ALIENATION THAT COMES WITH HOMELESSNESS.
CRISIS CREATES PARTICIPANT
On 12 June we returned to Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre to give our second BrightSparks schools’ concert, following our first schools’ performance there last year. Designed for Key Stage 2 children (aged 7–11), the concert featured Stravinsky’s Petrushka, with presenter Rachel Leach and conductor Matthew Lynch. The 550-strong audience was very warm and appreciative, with teachers telling us this was a unique opportunity for them and their pupils. We repeated the same concert twice at the Royal Festival Hall in two sell-out schools’ performances, as well as a FUNharmonics performance for families.
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL LOCAL SUPPORTERS AND DONORS WHO GAVE TO THE LPO’S ARTS FOR IMPACT 2025 BIG GIVE CAMPAIGN.
FIND OUT MORE OR JOIN OUR BRIGHTSPARKS MAILING LIST: lpo.org.uk/brightsparks
In the first week of July, together with our partner Drake Music, we were invited to exhibit at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition, an annual free celebration of cuttingedge science held at London’s Royal Society, near Trafalgar Square. LPO musicians joined the Drake Music team to demonstrate the accessible collection of Touch Instruments that we have developed together. These form part of Drake Music’s Accessible Musical Instrument Collection – a world-class resource for Disabled people to explore technological possibilities for making music.
The exhibit featured presentations, interactive demos of the instruments and hands-on opportunities for visitors to explore the possibilities of accessible music technology, as well as the chance to ‘jam’ with LPO musicians! The event was open to the public as well as school groups, and we enjoyed meeting around 6,000 visitors over the weekend.
Congratulations to Tom Nielsen, who was promoted to the position of joint Principal Trumpet in May. Turn to the ‘Backstage’ feature on page 16 to find out more about Tom!
It was a pleasure to welcome two new faces to our Cello section in July. Henry Shapard joined us as Co-Principal Cello, having previously held the position of Principal at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. We also welcomed Leo Melvin to the section. An acclaimed solo, chamber and orchestral musician, Leo has appeared regularly with the LPO and other top London orchestras as a freelance player – it’s great to welcome him as a member!
There were also some changes in our Second Violin section over the summer. Congratulations to Claudia TarrantMatthews, who has been promoted to the position of Sub-Principal Second Violin. In April we welcomed Sophie Phillips to the section; Sophie will be our LPO Friends Supported Musician in the 2025/26 season. And in June we welcomed Coco Inman to the No. 4 Second Violin seat. Coco is a former member of our Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme, in which she participated during 2023/24.
Congratulations to First Violin Cassi Hamilton and her husband James Buckle (Philharmonia Orchestra Principal Bass Trombone), who welcomed a baby girl, Emi Islay Miyajima Buckle, on 3 August 2025.
Following the Orchestra’s AGM in April 2025, we welcomed Simon Burke to the Board of Directors. We look forward to working with Simon, who brings a wealth of experience as a business leader in the retail and consumer sector. We were also delighted that Board members Deborah Dolce, Jamie NjokuGoodwin and Neil Westreich were each reappointed for a further three years.
Violist Katharine Leek stepped down from the Board as a Player Director – we’re deeply grateful to Kate for her valuable contributions and dedicated service. First Violinist Minn Majoe was re-elected, and we are delighted that Principal Timpanist Simon Carrington also joined the Player Directors.
Congratulations to LPO Board member Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who in April was awarded an OBE in Rishi Sunak’s Resignation Honours for political and public service, and to Advisory Council member Jamie Korner, who in June received an OBE in The King’s Birthday Honours 2025 for services to philanthropy and charity.
In March we welcomed Ellie Leon to the team as Education & Community Co-ordinator. Ellie stepped into the shoes of Hannah Smith, who left the LPO in March. In June we welcomed new Sales & Ticketing Manager Maria Ribalaygua, replacing Gavin Miller, and in August Alice Drury joined the team as Tours & Projects Assistant, after Tom Cameron moved on in April.
In September we welcome Aimee Walton who takes over the role of Tours Manager from Maddy Clarke, and Alicia Downie, who steps into the shoes of Ineza Grabowska as PA to the Executive & Office Manager. In September we also say goodbye to Concerts & Recordings Co-ordinator Dora Kmezić
As Press & PR Manager Georgie Blyth heads off to begin her maternity leave in September, we wish her and her husband Joni all the best for their new arrival!
Congratulations to Education & Community Project Manager Lowri Thomas (née Davies) on her marriage to Andy on 16 May 2025, and to Glyndebourne & Projects Manager Madeleine Ridout, who married Duncan Wooder on 23 August 2025.
Our outgoing Composerin-Residence, Tania León, had many reasons to celebrate this spring. In February she received a Trustees Award at the 2025 Grammys –presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of recording. In April Tania was announced as the recipient of the 2025 William Schuman Award, given to recognise the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works are judged to be of lasting significance, and in July she was named as one of the 2025 Class of ‘Great Immigrants’ by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. These honours follow Tania’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her work Stride, and a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2022. TURN TO PAGE 6 TO READ ABOUT OUR RECENT LPO LABEL RELEASE OF TANIA LEÓN’S MUSIC.
In September 2025, Madeleine Venner takes up her new role as the London Philharmonic Choir’s Chorus Director. She succeeds Neville Creed, who retired at the end of last season after a distinguished 30-year tenure.
Madeleine is the sixth Chorus Director since the Choir’s founding in 1947, following in the footsteps of Frederic Jackson (1947–69), John Alldis (1969–82), Richard Cooke (1982–91), Jeremy Jackman (1992–94) and Neville Creed (1994–2025).
We look forward to working with the Choir under Madeleine’s leadership as we prepare for some exciting concerts together this season, including Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony in October, John Adams’s Harmonium in November, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Tan Dun’s Nine in March (full details on p13–14 and lpo.org.uk).
Unless otherwise stated, all Southbank Centre concerts are at the Royal Festival Hall and start at 7.30pm.
Pricing information on our website: lpo.org.uk
LPO Ticket Office: lpo.org.uk 020 7840 4242 (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm)
Booking fees apply: £3.50 online, £4 telephone
Southbank Centre Ticket Office: southbankcentre.co.uk 020 3879 9555
Mon–Fri 10am–5pm | Sat–Sun 12pm–5pm
Booking fees apply: £3.50 online, £4 telephone. No transaction fees for in-person bookings, Southbank Centre Members, Supporters Circles and Patrons.
Edward Gardner’s position with the LPO in 2025/26 is generously supported by Aud Jebsen.
Karina Canellakis’s position with the LPO in 2025/26 is generously supported by Richard Buxton.
Concerts indicated by this icon are part of the ‘Harmony with Nature’ series.
Saturday 27 September 2025
Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto
George Benjamin Ringed by the Flat Horizon
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Edward Gardner conductor Yefim Bronfman piano
Friday 3 October 2025
Mahler’s Fourth
Hans Abrahamsen Let me tell you Mahler Symphony No. 4
Edward Gardner conductor
Jennifer France soprano
Wednesday 22 October 2025
6.30pm (Please note start time) The Rite of Spring
L Boulanger D’un matin de printemps*
L Boulanger Faust et Hélène
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Karina Canellakis conductor
Véronique Gens soprano
Andrew Staples tenor
Jean-Sébastien Bou baritone
*Please note change of work from originally advertised. With support from the ABO Trust’s Sirens programme.
Saturday 25 October 2025
Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony
Mozart Overture, Idomeneo, K366
Mozart Masonic Funeral Music, K477
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
Karina Canellakis conductor
Paul Lewis piano
This performance is dedicated to the memory of the late Pehr G Gyllenhammar, Chairman, London Philharmonic Trust (2006–11).
Wednesday 29 October 2025
New World Symphony
Chinary Ung Water Rings
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World)
Kahchun Wong conductor
Himari violin
Friday 31 October 2025
A Sea Symphony
Sibelius Scènes historiques (Suite II)
Sibelius The Oceanides
Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
Mark Elder conductor
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano
David Stout baritone
London Philharmonic Choir
Wednesday 5 November 2025
Brahms’s Fourth
Brahms Tragic Overture
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Brahms Symphony No. 4
Edward Gardner conductor
Pavel Kolesnikov piano
Concert generously supported by Sir Simon & Lady Robey CBE.
Saturday 8 November 2025
Beethoven & John Adams
Beethoven Violin Concerto
John Adams Harmonium
Edward Gardner conductor
James Ehnes violin
London Philharmonic Choir
BBC Symphony Chorus
Wednesday 12 November 2025
Romeo and Juliet
Gabriela Lena Frank
Contested Eden (UK premiere)
Walton Cello Concerto
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)
Elim Chan conductor
Nicolas Altstaedt cello
Wednesday 26 November 2025
Edward Gardner conducts Elgar
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Elgar Sea Pictures
Elgar Sospiri
Elgar Enigma Variations
Edward Gardner conductor
Beth Taylor mezzo-soprano
With the generous support of the Elgar Society in celebration of its 75th anniversary.
This concert celebrates The Duke of Kent’s 90th birthday and 45 years of His Royal Highness’s Patronage of the LPO.
11.00am–3.00pm | Daytime event
Royal Festival Hall
LPO Showcase: OrchLab Festival Day
OrchLab Festival Day is the culmination of this year’s OrchLab programme, delivered in collaboration with Drake Music. This free but ticketed event is open to disabled adults, their families and those who support them (over 18s only). For more information visit orchlab.org/open-events
Saturday 29 November 2025
Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Bloch
Robert Laidlow Exoplanets (world premiere)*
Bloch Schelomo
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3
Edward Gardner conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Generously supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust.
*Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Interfinity Festival Basel.
Saturday 13 December 2025 | 3.00pm & 7.30pm & Sunday 14 December 1.00pm
Southbank Centre: Christmas Classics
Michael England conductor
YolanDa Brown presenter
Vanessa Haynes singer
London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Choir (13 Dec)
Philharmonia Chorus (14 Dec)
London Youth Choirs
Tickets available via Southbank Centre Ticket Office and southbankcentre.co.uk only.
Sunday 28 September 2025 | 7.00pm
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650
Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Brahms Symphony No. 2
Edward Gardner conductor Yeol Eum Son piano
Saturday 4 October 2025 | 7.30pm Brighton Dome Concert Hall brightondome.org | 01273 709709
Verdi Prelude from Aida
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)
Pablo González conductor Alena Baeva violin
6.45pm | Free pre-concert event
Enjoy the sound of local young talent, as musicians from West Sussex Music, part of the music hub for Sussex, kick off the season with a special free performance in the Brighton Dome foyer.
Sunday 5 October 2025 | 3.00pm
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne eastbournetheatres.co.uk | 01323 412000 Programme as 4 October Brighton
Friday 24 October 2025 | 7.30pm
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650
Mozart Overture, Idomeneo, K366
Mozart Masonic Funeral Music, K477 Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2
Karina Canellakis conductor Paul Lewis piano
Saturday 1 November 2025 | 7.30pm
Brighton Dome Concert Hall brightondome.org | 01273 709709
Ravel Mother Goose Suite
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2*
Bizet Symphony in C
Nodoka Okisawa conductor
Leia Zhu violin
*Please note change of work from previously advertised.
Sunday 2 November 2025 | 3.00pm
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne eastbournetheatres.co.uk | 01323 412000
Programme as 1 November Brighton
Thursday 13 November 2025 | 7.30pm
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Gateshead theglasshouseicm.org | 0191 443 4661
Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Walton Cello Concerto
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)
Elim Chan conductor
Nicolas Altstaedt cello
Saturday 27 December 2025 | 2.30pm
Barbican, London barbican.org.uk | 020 7870 2500
Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival
Verdi Force of Destiny Overture
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2
Holst The Planets
Lee Reynolds conductor
Saturday 20 September 2025 | 8.00pm Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium
Lyatoshynsky Grazhyna
Berg Violin Concerto
Frederik Neyrinck Vijf Patronen (Five Patterns) (world premiere)
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Natalia Ponomarchuk conductor Dmytro Udovychenko violin
Sunday 21 September 2025 | 3.00pm Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium
Fanny Mendelssohn Overture in C major
Robert Schumann Piano Concerto
Clara Schumann Piano Concerto
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)
Natalia Ponomarchuk conductor
Alexander Melnikov piano
OCTOBER 2025
Tuesday 14 October 2025 | 7.30pm
Seoul Arts Center, South Korea
Mendelssohn Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Brahms Symphony No. 2
Edward Gardner conductor
Yeol Eum Son piano
Thursday 16 October 2025 | 7.30pm
Daejeon Arts Centre, South Korea
Mendelssohn Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Edward Gardner conductor
Yeol Eum Son piano
Friday 17 October 2025 | 7.30pm
Busan Concert Hall, South Korea Programme as 16 October
Saturday 18 October 2025 | 5.00pm
Gyeonggi Arts Center, South Korea
Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Edward Gardner conductor
Yeol Eum Son piano
Monday 1 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Heinrich-Lades-Halle, Erlangen, Germany
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Bloch Schelomo
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3
Edward Gardner conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Tuesday 2 December 2025 | 8.00pm Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3
Edward Gardner conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Wednesday 3 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Isarphilharmonie, Munich, Germany Programme as 2 December
Thursday 4 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Philharmonie, Essen, Germany
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Bloch Schelomo
Elgar Symphony No. 1
Edward Gardner conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Friday 5 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany Programme as 2 December
Sunday 7 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1
Elgar Symphony No. 1
Edward Gardner conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Tuesday 9 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Konzerthaus, Freiburg, Germany
Elgar In the South (Alassio)
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Elgar Symphony No. 1
Edward Gardner conductor
Arabella Steinbacher violin
Wednesday 10 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Graf Zeppelin Haus, Friedrichshafen, Germany Programme as 1 December
Thursday 11 December 2025 | 8.00pm
Liederhalle, Stuttgart, Germany Programme as 2 December
You started learning the cornet as a child at the Salvation Army in Croydon, eventually joining the International Staff Band – the organisation’s premier brass ensemble. There’s a long tradition of top-tier brass players who came through the Salvation Army ranks – why do you think it’s such a such a fertile ground for brass talent? In the Salvation Army brass band tradition, most of the music played is melodic and lyrical in style. The purpose of Salvation Army bands is, of course, to accompany hymns in Sunday services (or famously, to play Christmas carols on the high street!). As a musician, this gives you an idea of how a phrase should feel, and how the words of the hymns are reflected in the music – I always draw on that experience when I try to shape certain phrases within the orchestra. The other part of Salvation Army music-making that I think is so important is the residential courses. These gave me the opportunity to play with like-minded musicians from all over the UK, as well as gain lots of performance and audition experience. My father was the Principal Cornet player of the ISB for a number of years, and this gave me a constant source of encouragement and inspiration through my formative years.
You were Principal Cornet of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, as well as guesting with well-known brass bands like the Cory Band, Foden’s Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band. What have you found to be the main differences between cornet and trumpet playing?
Without getting too technical, the way the cornet is designed means the bell gets wider gradually towards the end, whereas a trumpet bell gets wider more severely at the end. This gives the cornet a mellower timbre (which blends very well with the other brass band instruments), while the trumpet can really project over a symphony orchestra. At first, I found it difficult to swap between the two, because the mellower quality of the cornet meant that certain areas of my technique were being disguised. I had to gradually work out certain nuances with things like articulation, but I try not to think about it too much now! I first experienced orchestral playing at the Junior Guildhall, where I actually auditioned on the cornet! My teacher, Andy Mitchell (who has just retired after some 50 years
Tom joined the LPO in 2023 as Co-Principal Trumpet, and in May this year was promoted to the position of Joint Principal, alongside his former teacher at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Paul Beniston.
there) was fantastic in allowing me to enjoy my cornet playing, whilst guiding me in the right direction in the early stages of my trumpet playing.
You were taught at the Guildhall by Paul Beniston and Anne McAneney, both members of the LPO Trumpet section and now your colleagues! What’s it like to play in the LPO alongside your former tutors? It’s the greatest privilege to be in the same section as Paul and Anne, and I feel extremely fortunate that they have put their faith in me. While it can sometimes be daunting (as I never want to let them down!), I don’t feel ashamed about asking questions about the repertoire we’re playing if I’m unsure. The greatest practical benefit is that they often unknowingly demonstrate lots of the elements of orchestral solo and section playing that they taught me ‘on the job.’ I am very excited to be joining them as a Professor at Guildhall from September this year, so I can hopefully pass on the lessons they taught me for many years to come.
What have been your highlights with the LPO so far?
I had a particular connection to the LPO even before joining the Orchestra, as my first professional engagement when I was a student was performing Enescu’s Symphony No. 1 with the Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in February 2020. In 2022, the seasonopening performance of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder with Ed Gardner was the first ‘official’ concert I did while on trial with the Orchestra, and the scale and beauty of that piece will always resonate with me. The other recent memory was the opening of our concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall last autumn. We played Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, and I could instantly tell that the whole Orchestra was fired up to give a special evening of music.
Who are your musical heroes?
I’m always inspired by Philip Cobb (BBCSO), and my predecessor in the LPO, James Fountain (now LSO). They both also come from Salvation Army backgrounds, and seeing their achievements was a massive inspiration to me when I was growing up. Our very own Paul Beniston has obviously also had a huge impact on me. Without embarrassing him, I’m in awe that he was the trumpet on the original Champions League anthem!
What are your interests outside of music? Anyone who knows me will know of my undying love for Newcastle United! It was fate that in March this year, the Orchestra was playing in Gateshead on the very same day that we won our first trophy for 70 years, and the city was absolutely buzzing. I also enjoy supporting the New York Yankees baseball team, and Paul has got me into learning how to play golf – a very popular activity during our free time on tour.
Do you have any advice for young musicians hoping to follow in your footsteps?
The key thing I’d suggest is to try to take the initiative! It’s not always about just doing what teachers ask – it’s about wanting to do that and more. I really enjoy the process of making new discoveries, both when I challenge myself in my practice, and when I listen to music I don’t know. It’s so important to listen to different genres of music, as well as taking time to learn lots of the standard orchestral repertoire thoroughly, and how the trumpet part fits into a piece as a whole.