Live One-to-One Music Events Return To Kings Place London With Their Free Culture Clinics

For the first time since lockdown began, Kings Place London will welcome audiences back to the venue to experience a unique day of live performance.

The Kings Place Culture Clinics begin on Saturday 1 August and will offer a bespoke service of free live performances for those who have missed the tingle of live music and who are anxious about returning to a venue. Audiences are invited to step over the threshold of Kings Place again, share their personal lockdown story or mood with one of the guest artists who will prescribe a piece of music. These unique 10-15 minute consultations will bring the audience into the same space, safely distanced, with an artist who has been unable to play to a live crowd for many months, bridging that gap between Kings Place's community of audiences and artists again. The day will feature jazz pianist Elliot Galvin, folk guitarist Ewan McLennan, classical duo Tom Poster and Elena Urioste and Poet in the City's Poetry Witchdoctor, with each session lasting fifteen minutes. Availability is limited to 8-10 slots, available on a first-come first-served basis. Tickets are free but donations welcome to help support our programme and artists. Families, and multiple members of households or bubbles can join one booking, up to 6 people. Bookings are open now at www.kingsplace.co.uk. More dates will come up in August and September featuring jazz artist Cherise Adams-Burnett, violinist Thomas Gould and pianist Christina McMaster

Kings Place will also host three concerts by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, performed behind closed doors at the venue and available to watch for free online. Part of the Bach, the Universe & Everything Sunday morning season, which pairs live classical music with fascinating and topical scientific talks, the upcoming concerts are:

Sun 19th July The Science of Laughter with Dr Sophie Scott

Playful music from Kauffmann, Bach and others offers a guaranteed antidote for a burdened and sorrowful soul, alongside neuroscientist Dr Sophie Scott discusses the science of laughter and why we instinctively try to make each other laugh to get through difficult times.

Sun 30 August The Voice Doctor with Declan Costello

Dramatic Bach cantatas on healing, enlightenment and salvation performed by rising star bass Dominic Sedgwick accompany 'Voice Doctor' Declan Costello as he shares the mysterious world of vocal anatomy.

Sun 20 September Who We Are in VR with Dr Sylvia Pan

Some of Bach's more experimental and modern cantatas, drawing on feelings of anxiety for the unknown, are performed live as Dr Sylvia Pan, Assistant Professor of Virtual Reality at Goldsmith, considers how our relationship with reality has been challenged during lockdown and explores the immersive power of VR.

The popular season of KPLive In Conversation events will continue streaming live online via the Kings Place KPlayer with upcoming highlights including:

Wed 22 Jul 10.30am The Urban Birder David Lindo in conservation with... Polly Morgan: Creating Art from Taxidermy

London-based artist Polly Morgan Rose to attention after learning taxidermy in 2004, when she began to play with and dismantle taxidermy traditions, creating sculptures that have increasingly sidestepped symbolism in order to consider the animal formally. She speaks to David Lindo about the intricate technique of her delicate work, and how birds have been part of sculptural taxidermy.

FREE event. Registration required. Hosted on: theurbanbirderworld.com/live-webinars

Thu 23 Jul 7pm Don Black: The Sanest Guy in the Room

Don Black is the songwriters' songwriter, a composer's dream collaborator, and the man behind some of the late 20th century's greatest hits. Don has had a stellar career crowned by an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Tony and an Ivor Novello Award, as well as platinum, gold and silver disks. In a delightful paean to a life lived through song, watch along as he talks to Michael Grade about working with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Lulu and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Mon 27 July 7pm Rock 'n' Roll Politics with Steve Richards

Top political commentator and broadcaster, Steve Richards, presents his latest behind-the-scenes guide to the epic dramas and the characters shaping seismic events. Johnson, Cummings, the issues of competencies, Starmer and yes, Brexit! How have we got here? What's going to happen next? Who is responsible? This unmissable, up-to-the-minute event features a live Q&A with Steve giving you the chance to put your burning questions to one of the UK's sharpest political minds.

Mon 3 Aug, 7pm The Virus in the Age of Madness Bernard-Henri Lévy in conversation with Mark Lawson

With medical mysteries, rising death tolls, and conspiracy theories beamed minute by minute through the vast web universe, the coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably altered societies around the world. World-renowned philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy interrogates the many meanings and metaphors we have assigned to the pandemic-and what they tell us about ourselves. FREE event, but registration required at jewishbookweek.com. Regist. link to be made available 20 Jul.

Alongside the vibrant live programme, Kings Place will continue to host their popular and completely free Wednesday Watch streaming sessions, which bring a classic live concert or event from the venue out of the vaults. Upcoming highlights include:

Weds 29 July 7pm Mehdi & Adib Rostami: Melodic Circles

Classical Iranian music is based on radif's (old melodies) and numerous organised dastgāh (scales) to create melodic circles of suspense, interest and mystique. In this concert, Mehdi Rostami (setar) & Adib Rostami (tombak) explore them with a contemporary approach, presenting music from their debut album, Melodic Circles (picked as one of the top 10 albums of 2018 by Songlines). Plus harpist & vocalist Tara Jaff performing ancient Kurdish pieces.

Weds 5 August 7pm Siobhan Miller in Concert

One of Scotland's foremost folk singers, Siobhan Miller is an exceptional talent, renowned for her unique vocal style paired with her evocative song writing. Miller creates music with detail and rich melodies that combine the sounds of indie and alternative music with sounds from her roots in folk music.

Unless stated in listings, all events are streamed via www.kingsplace.co.uk/kplayer.

To post a comment, you must register and login.