Wigmore Hall to reopen with 25-concert anniversary festival

On 17 May 2021, Wigmore Hall is reopening to live audiences with a festival celebrating the venue's 120th anniversary. 

The festival is headlined by nine new associate artists:

Nitin Sawhney (composer/performer)

Amjad Ali Khan (sarod)

Amaan Ali Bangash (sarod)

Ayaan Ali Bangash (sarod)

Lawrence Power (viola)

Gweneth Ann Rand (soprano)

Trish Clowes (saxophone)

Elaine Mitchener (vocal and movement artist)

Christian McBride (jazz bass)

Each associate artist will play at the hall at least once every season for five years. 

Nigerian-Romanian pianist Rebeca Omordia is also joining the hall's family of partners, spearheading the African Concert series, which bridges Western classical music and traditional African music.

Read more: REBECA OMORDIA: A CLASSICAL MUSIC CHANGE MAKER

Wigmore Hall will also present a week-long Learning Festival, with the theme of ‘connectivity’. Through concerts, an online art installation and family events, the festival explores music’s power to bring people together in the face of isolation, a plight faced by many over the past 12 months of the pandemic.

John Gilhooly, director of Wigmore Hall, said: ‘Since its auspicious opening in 1901, Wigmore Hall has become the international headquarters of chamber music with a diverse roster of artists and repertoire. 

'At this time of renewal, we are keen to continue our search for new and unjustly neglected voices on stage. 

I am particularly looking forward to our Learning Festival, which explores how the pandemic has challenged but also strengthened our sense of community.'

Tickets for all 25 concerts in the reopening festival are available initially on a ballot basis to Friends of Wigmore Hall.

Seating capacity will be determined by government announcements in the coming weeks. 

13 concerts will be streamed free of charge on the Wigmore Hall site, and 3 concerts will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

For full listings visit https://wigmore-hall.org.uk

For more information on the Learning Festival visit https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/learning/learning-festival-2021-connectivity