Music at Malling launches summer series

Music at Malling’s (Music@Malling) summer series will return this summer with a programme celebrating composer Deborah Pritchard. Running from 9 to 11 June, the summer series offers audiences a chance to experience classical music ahead of ahead Music at Malling’s annual programme of concerts taking place in venues centred around the Kent town of West Malling in September.

Titled Earth, Water, Air and Fire the programme explores Pritchard’s creative partnership with visual artist Maggi Hambling CBE and the work of artist Marc Chagall. The weekend of immersive concerts performed by Chamber Domaine and conducted by Music at Malling artistic director Thomas Kemp looks at the connection between music and arts through the lens of Pritchard’s synaesthesia.

Kemp said: ‘This is a really exciting project that explores music and colour. It is fantastic to be working with Deborah Pritchard again after the success of Six Brandenburgs: Six Commissions in 2022. Her music will illuminate the art by Hambling and Chagall performed by the fantastic musicians of Chamber Domaine.’

Synaesthesia is the production of a sense impression relating to one sense by stimulation of another sense – in Pritchard’s case, she can ‘hear’ visual stimuli (like art) as sound. The upcoming series will include premieres of pieces by Pritchard offering insight into how she ‘hears’ works by Maggi Hambling and Marc Chagall as well as other visual stimuli like a stained-glass window. These pieces will be performed alongside Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Works will be performed by soloist violinists Harriet Mackenzie and Greta Mutlu alongside Chamber Domaine, while harpsichordist Steven Devine will direct the Handel works. The series will close with an outreach day on 11 June at Malling Abbey’s St. Benedict's Centre. Pritchard, along with members of Chamber Domaine, will mento young music creators from across Kent.

You can find more information and tickets at the Music at Malling website.