Classical Vauxhall returns to southwest London

London-based festival Classical Vauxhall will make its return to southwest London next month with four days of performances by classical talent from across the UK and beyond. Running from 2 to 4 March, concerts will take place at St Mark’s Church, Kennington.

Started by artistic director and Irish pianist Fiachra Garvey, the festival’s four concerts will celebrate its fourth iteration this year with a programme spanning repertoire from Beethoven to Gershwin.

Garvey said: ‘The festival’s aim is to present chamber music in a warm, welcoming and accessible way. Classical music is for everyone, despite some perceptions that it is “elite”! We of course, want regular classical music lovers to come to the concerts, but I’d also love for people who might not usually engage with classical music to come and try something different. If you’re heading to Vauxhall for a wild night out, come a little earlier and swing by St Marks, and I promise you will not be disappointed’.

Garvey will perform at the festival’s opening concert ‘Comfort in Chaos ‘on 2 March, presenting a programme of Beethoven, Mahler, Fung, and Brahms alongside English violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen, American violist Clifton Harrison and Turkish cellist Jamal Aliyev. The environment-focused theme of this first concert will carry through to 3 March, when tenor Nicky Spence and pianist and Oxford Lieder Festival artistic director Sholto Kynoch present ‘Songs of The Seasons’.

The festival’s final day kicks off with a solo concert given by violinist, collaborator, composer  and music director Rakhi Singh. Playing both violin and electronics, Singh’s repertoire spans from the Baroque to the present day. This will be followed by the festival’s closing concert which presents a programme focusing on music in Hollywood from silent film to musicals.

Tickets for all concerts are £20 (concessions available) and a portion of ticket sales will go towards hosting a free outreach programme for young musicians, given in partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) on 5 March at St Gabriel’s College. This day will culminate in a free concert where 40 local young people will perform alongside musicians from the LPO.