Classical Vauxhall festival returns to London

Classical Vauxhall is set to return to London for its fifth edition next month. Running from 29 February to 3 March the festival presents concerts in venues across Vauxhall, as well as engagement activities in partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Festival Opera.

The festival will kick off on 29 February at St Mark’s Church with a concert of Fairytale and Fantasy music. Pianist Fiachra Garvey will take audiences on a journey with a programme including Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, Stravinsky’s Petrushka, Rhoda Coghill’s Gaelic Fantasy and Frank Bridge’s A Fairy Tale, as well as Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie and Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

St Mark’s Church will also host the festival’s #UriPosteJukebox concert with violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster (pictured above) making their return to Classical Vauxhall following a livestreamed performance at the 2021 festival. As well as sonatas by Mendelssohn and Melanie Bonis the concert will feature repertoire from Bach to Elton John inspired by the YouTube channel they set up during lockdown.

The festival will also see jazz vocalist China Moses perform her original music alongside classical musicians in a fusion performance of Classical Soul, while later in the week Kennington’s Edinburgh House will provide the backdrop for a series of family performances of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. The production, narrated by British actor Adjoa Andoh with music performed by The Chineke! Wind Quintet, will operate an inclusive 'pay what you can' door policy.

Outside of the four-day festival, Classical Vauxhall will also be running a series of workshops with local schools in partnership with London Festival Opera offering an interactive introduction to the world of opera. In collaboration with London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) the festival is also presenting an overture day, giving 60 young musicians from Vauxhall and Lambeth the chance to learn and play alongside LPO musicians, with the day-long workshop culminating in a public performance.