Liverpool Philharmonic To Present 40 Performances By The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra And Associated Ensembles

Audiences can safely enjoy live music at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in 2021 with 40 new concerts announced today. Five of these will be available for audiences to enjoy in the comfort of their own home through Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's On Demand offering.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will delight audiences with a broad mix of repertoire. This includes Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 (Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 January), Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man (Thursday 21 and Saturday 23 January), Mendelssohn's music from Midsummer Night's Dream (Thursday 28 and Sunday 31 January), Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 (Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February), Vivaldi's and Piazzolla's Four Seasons (Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February) and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 (Thursday 11 and Sunday 14 March).

Alongside much welcomed performances led by Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko and Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze, guest conductors include Andris Poga, Mihhail Gerts, Kevin John Edusei, Robert Ames, Clark Rundell, and conductor/violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. Following the successful RLPO Brass concert in the autumn, brass star Steven Verhaert will be conducting their next concert in the Spring. Concerts with the youth company will be led by 2020 La Maestra competition winner, conductor Rebecca Tong, Simon Emery and Simon Cowen. Members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, under the direction of their choirmaster Ian Tracey, will be giving two a cappella concerts on Thursday 4 and Saturday 6 March.

A variety of performers will delight audiences at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Artists include cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. He famously played at the wedding of Meghan and Prince Harry and, was winner of the 2020 Young Artist of the Year at the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards and past Liverpool Philharmonic Young Artists in Residence. Sheku will perform Dvořák's Cello Concerto (14 and 17 January). RPS 2020 Instrumentalist Award, Lawrence Power will direct works by Berio, Woolrich, and Tippett (4 February) in which he will also feature a viola soloist. Soloist debuts coming up include pianists Joseph Moog and Martin James Bartlett, and cellist Anastasia Kobekina. One of Orchestra's own musician's Cormac Henry will be playing Nielsen's Flute Concerto.

Concerts in February will celebrate the centenary of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's birth. The concerts ¡Viva Piazzolla! on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February salute the king of 'nuevo tango' and feature a world premiere of the orchestration of Piazzolla's Midsummer Night's Dream by Hywel Davies. On Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February, violinist Diana Tishchenko also makes her Liverpool debut directing the intertwined Four Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla,

This Valentine's Day, love is in the air at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. The concert Music for Valentine's Day: From Broadway With Love (14 February) will sweep audiences off their feet with songs including Lucky Be A Lady, Don't Rain on My Parade and Can You Feel the Love Tonight? all sung by Liverpool-born West End sensation Jon Robyns, (Valjean Les Misérables, King George in Hamilton) and Alice Fearne, (Elphba Wicked) alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ensemble 10/10 (Liverpool Philharmonic's contemporary music group), perform a concert in partnership with University of Liverpool Open Circuit (5 March). The evening will showcase works by post-graduate composers Brittany Collie and Daniel Thorn, as well as two well-known American composers, Meredith Monk and Steve Reich.

To celebrate International Women's Day, Equilibrium (an all-female string quartet from Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) introduce works by hitherto neglected women composers of the past with exciting works by living females. The concert (Monday 8 March) will include the world premiere of 2018 Christopher Brooks Composition Prize winner Carmel Smickersgill's Ornament for String Quartet and 2017 winner, Grace-Evangeline Mason's Into the abyss I throw roses: string trio.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's Pirate themed Family Concert (Saturday 6 March) is a chance for all ages to enjoy music inspired by seafaring adventures. The fun and interactive concert will include The Pirate March, Over the Waves and music from the Pirates of the Caribbean films

Internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble, VOCES8 make their first visit in the Liverpool Philharmonic Chamber Series to present a diverse programme of music ranging from Renaissance classics to jazz and pop standards (12 January). VOCES8 show the beauty of the voice with a programme that swings effortlessly between William Byrd's Sing Joyfully and Irving Berlin's Cheek to Cheek, and from Bach's Bourée to Van Morrison's Moondance.

Five of the newly-announced concerts are available to purchase and watch online. All concerts will include live a pre and post-concert Zoom with author and broadcaster Stephen Johnson who leads the talk alongside artists and conductors. During these sessions audiences can ask questions and engage in a 'post-match analysis' style discussion about the performance.

Tickets cost £10 per stream or £45 for 5 when booked as a block. Further details available here: www.liverpoolphil.com/ondemand

The company welcomes back members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir to the Hall performing choral masterpieces with organ accompaniment on Thursday 4 and Saturday 6 March. These include Haydn's Te Deum and Vivaldi's Gloria, conducted choirmaster by Ian Tracey.

Liverpool Philharmonic is committed to providing opportunities for all ages to develop their knowledge and love of music. Beethoven's Septet (Thursday 25 February) is the feature in this concert when the musicians introduce the work, explore how it was written and perform Beethoven's Septet. Building on the Discover the Classic's series, Discover: Beethoven String Quartets (Saturday 13 March) combines an informal and informed lecture on the composer with a performance of Beethoven's String Quartet Op.59, No.1. The event is introduced by cellist Gethyn Jones and the Ensemble of St Luke's, made up of members of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Liverpool Philharmonic continues to support up and coming talent, providing access for young people to perform on a world stage. Between January and March there are seven performances by ensembles from the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company: the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Brass, Wind and String Ensembles, the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Brass Band and the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choirs. The Youth Orchestra's String Ensembles will perform pieces including Karl Jenkin's Palladio (Saturday 30 January), and will also be conducted by Vasily Petrenko in concerts on Saturday 21 March. The youth company also feature in concerts on Sunday 24 January, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March.

The orchestra has introduced additional measures at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to ensure the safety of audiences. These include socially-distanced seating, bookings limited to household or social bubbles only, one way systems, enhanced cleaning, all staff and audience members wearing masks (unless exempt) and regular fogging of the auditorium. Our surveys indicate that 98% of customers say they have felt completely or very safe when attending a concert at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Tickets for performances at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall cost from £24 for Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and £15 for Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company Concerts. Purchase five or more concerts between 9 December and March to save 10% on the ticket price. Visit www.liverpoolphil.com or call the Box Office on 0151 709 3789 to book.

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