Past Events

SUNDAY 20 MAY 2018 at 11.30am    

 KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® with JEFFREY SIEGEL

“an achievement of a sort seldom heard” NEW YORK TIMES

We are delighted to welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel to the International Concert Series this season who brings his Keyboard Conversations ® series to Steiner Hall. Each event comprises informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and concludes with a short Q & A session with the audience. This accessible format enriches understanding of classical music for newcomers and seasoned listeners alike.  

A BERNSTEIN BIRTHDAY BASH!

Celebrate his 100th birthday! His intimate Anniversaries, his piano arrangement of Copland's El Salon Mexico, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

SATURDAY 24 March 2018 at 7.30pm

ICS SPRING CONCERT: 'VISIBLE MUSIC' 

AYAKO YOSHIDA - violin
SIGUNE BRINCH - eurythmy
GREGERS BRINCH - baritone
LOUIS DEMETRIUS ALVANIS - piano

A programme featuring outstanding artists from our International Concert Series, including a eurythmy performance.
"Eurythmy asks one to be present and conscious in every moment. In Music Eurythmy, we are not moving with the music, we use gestures to express the tones and intervals - we are the music. -Thus, the human being is the instrument."
PROGRAMME:
Gegers BRINCH: Four Songs Gregers Brinch - baritone, Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
Christodoulos GEORGIADES: Danse Macabre Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
Claude DEBUSSY: L'Isle Joyeuse Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
Claude DEBUSSY: Clair de lune Sigune Brinch - eurythmy, Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: "Kreutzer" Sonata Ayako Yoshida, violin, Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
Nicolo PAGANINI: Cantabile Ayako Yoshida, violin, Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano
William KROLL: Banjo and Fiddle Ayako Yoshida, violin, Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano

SATURDAY 17 MARCH 2018 at 7.30pm
'VIOLIN CELEBRATIONS'
MADELEINE MITCHELL - Violin & KONSTANTIN LAPSHIN - Piano
There will be a short pre-concert talk in the auditorium by Michael Berkeley and David Matthews from 6.45pm until approximately 7.05pm which is open to all ticket holders for this event.
Distinguished violinist Madeleine Mitchell celebrates the 70th birthday of Michael Berkeley and the 75th of David Matthews with the lyrical pieces from her latest album Violin Muse featuring both composers, together with two of the best loved violin sonatas plus exquisite Prokofiev from her album Violin Songs. She is joined by the prize-winning Russian pianist Konstantin Lapshin.
International Concert Series
PROGRAMME
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Cinq Melodies op.35b
DAVID MATTHEWS Romanza (composed for Madeleine Mitchell)
GRACE WILLIAMS Violin Sonata
- Interval -
MICHAEL BERKELEY Veilleuse (Night Watch)
JOHANNES BRAHMS Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor
Madeleine Mitchell photo by Daniel Ross

SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2018 at 11.30am

KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® with JEFFREY SIEGEL
International Concert Series at Steiner Hall
“an achievement of a sort seldom heard” NEW YORK TIMES

We are delighted to welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel to the International Concert Series this season who brings his Keyboard Conversations ® series to Steiner Hall. Each event comprises informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and concludes with a short Q & A session with the audience. This accessible format enriches understanding of classical music for newcomers and seasoned listeners alike.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE PIANO
Great favourites from yesteryear - that are classics today! Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninov, - and Paderewski!
Programme:
Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Minuet in G, Opus 14 No. 1
Felix Mendelssohn: Spinning Song, Opus 67 No. 4
Antonin Dvorak: Humoresque in G flat, Opus 105 No. 7
Sergei Rachmaninov: Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Opus 3 No. 2
Claude Debussy: La plus que lente
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2018 at 7.30pm  

THE ARIEL TRIO
RIVKA GOLANI - viola
TADASUKE LIJIMA - violin
MICHAEL HAMPTON - piano

PROGRAMME
Max Bruch - Eight Pieces for Violin, Viola, and Piano, Op. 83
Gregers Brinch "Joy and Woe", Op.102, No.2
Johannes Brahms Trio in E-flat Major for Viola (Horn), Violin, and Piano, Op. 40
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Duo for Violin and Viola, No.2, K.424
Handel - Halvorsen - Passacaglia

SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2018 at 7.30pm
LIGETI QUARTET - 'MORPHS & MAGPIES Mandhira de Saram (violin 1)
Patrick Dawkins (violin 2) Richard Jones (viola) Val Welbanks (cello)
International Concert Series

PROGRAMME
LIGETI: String Quartet No.1
BRINCH: String Quartet No.1
TAGAQ: Sivunittinni - (arranged for string quartet by Jacob Garchik)
- Interval -
ZORN: Cat O'Nine Tails
SCHNITTKE: String Quartet No. 3

ICS Platform for Young Artists/International Concert Series at Steiner Hall
'THE SOUND OF WOOD' SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 at 7.30pm
Tiffany Tan - violin
Ashley Tan - piano

Prize-winning eighteen year old violinist Tiffany Tan makes her London recital debut in the ICS Platform for Young Artists at Steiner Hall. She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships in addition to finalist prizes in the Koclan Violin Competition and the Ernst & Szymanowski International Violin Competition. Her CD album 'The Sound of Wood' has recently been released.
PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach - Solo Sonata No. 2 - Andante and Allegro
Edvard Grieg - Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor
- Interval -
Henryk Wieniawski - Polonaise de Concert in D major
Henryk Wieniawski - Fantaise brillante on themes from Gounod's Faust, Op.20.
Jules Massenet - Méditation from Thaïs
Manuel de Falla - Danse Espagnole from La vida breve

SUNDAY 10 December 2017 at 4.00pm (please note earlier start time)
BELLPRINTS Handbell Ensemble: 

Jessica Lok, Christine Chan, Phoebe Yeung and Janice Lai 
International Concert Series Christmas Concert

PROGRAMME includes:
Ave Maria Music by J.S. Bach, Transcribed by Ardis Freeman
Romance d'Amour Anon., Arranged by Jessica Y.H. Lok
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Carol by Richard Storrs Willis, Arranged by Phoebe T.T. Yeung
Jingle Bell Calypso
Music by James L. Pierpont, Arranged by Christine Y.K Chan
Chopsticks Arranged by Dawn Thompson
Hernando Hideaway Music by Richard Adler & Jerry Ross, Arranged by Beth Davidson & David Jordan
and a premieres of music by C.W.Hui & Gregers Brinch
BELLPRINTS is a handbell quartet comprised of Jessica Lok, Christine Chan, Phoebe Yeung and Janice Lai. We are delighted to welcome back the ensemble who are coming from Hong Kong especilly for this performance at Steiner Hall. This follows on from their highly successful appearance last season which was received with acclaim by both audience and critics alike.

SATURDAY 25 November 2017 at 7.30pm
'Tell Me The Truth About Love'
International Concert Series
Margaret Cooper - soprano
Laetitia Fédérici - piano

For their first appearance in the International Concert Series at Steiner Hall, Margaret Cooper and Laetitia Fédérici present a recital of French and English song, including works by Fauré, Poulenc, Walton and Britten, together with the song cycle 'Clare's Calendar' by contemporary British composer Andrew Wilson
PROGRAMME
Fauré: 'Chanson d'amour, Après un rêve'
Fauré: Op 23 Songs (Les berceaux, Notre amour and Le secret')
Poulenc: 'Banalités' song cycle
Duparc: 'La vie antérieure', 'Le pays où se fait la guerre', 'L'invitation au voyage'
- Interval -
Andrew Wilson: 'Clare's Calendar' song cycle
Walton: 'Three Songs' (Daphne, Through Gilded Trellises, Old Sir Faulk)
Britten: 'Cabaret Songs' song cycle

KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® with JEFFREY SIEGEL Sunday, 19 November 2017 at 11.30am
“an achievement of a sort seldom heard” NEW YORK TIMES

We are delighted to welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel to the International Concert Series this season who brings his Keyboard Conversations ® series to Steiner Hall. Each event comprises informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and concludes with a short Q & A session with the audience. This accessible format enriches understanding of classical music for newcomers and seasoned listeners alike.
KEYS TO THE CLASSICS
Sunday 19 November 2017 at 11.30am
Haydn's humourous Sonata In D Major, Hob. 37, Mozart's intimate, poignant Rondo in A Minor, and Beethoven’s tempestuous Sonata Pathétique

SUNDAY 29 October 2017 at 4.00pm (please note this is an afternoon recital)
'The Romantic Piano' with Anna Maria Stanczyk
International Concert Series

It is a pleasure to welcome back Anna Maria Stanczyk to Steiner Hall following her highly successful performance last season. The Polish pianist's programme features a range of Romantic music by Chopin, Rachmaninov and Liszt.
Anna Maria Stanczyk has performed in major concert venues such as Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw Van Leer Hall, Jerusalem, and New York's Carnegie Recital Hall, which was reviewed as follows by the New York Times: "Miss Stanczyk is a pianist with a genuine feel for the Romantic repertory. Her tone although heroic, is capable of a myriad shading subtleties, and she has the intelligence and sense of narrative structure, that is crucial to any reading of this music.”
Programme:
FRYDERYK CHOPIN:
Polonaise in C minor, Op.40, 2 Waltzes, Ballade in F major, Op.38 "Switezianka", 3 Mazurkas,
Polonaise A flat major, Op.53 "Heroic"
- Interval -
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF:
3 Preludes
FRANZ LISZT:
Liszt- Chopin- Transcription on 3 songs: (The Maiden's Wish, Spring, The Return), Romans (dedicated to Josefina Koscielska), Grand Gallop Chromatique

SUNDAY 8 OCTOBER 2017 at 4.00pm (please note this is an afternoon recital)
'Piano Colours' with LOUIS DEMETRIUS ALVANIS
In memory of Jonathan FeBland

PROGRAMME:
CHOPIN: Largo in E flat, Nocturne No.21 in C minor, Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor, Op.31, Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op.66, Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op.23
- Interval -
FEBLAND: Three Preludes, Sonata No.2 'Luminous'
LISZT: Nuages Gris, Mephisto Waltz No.1 in A
Louis Demetrius Alvanis opens the 2017/18 Steiner Hall International Concert Series Season with a recital including Chopin's majestic B minor Sonata, Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1 and music by the British composer Jonathan FeBland from the CD 'Piano Colours' recorded by Alvanis.
This recital is in memory of the British composer Jonathan FeBland, 1960-2017. A close friend of Louis Demetrius Alvanis, FeBland dedicated a number of piano compositions to Alvanis who has premiered many of the composer's works and is considered the leading authority on the performance of Jonathan FeBland's unique and highly original piano music.
A regular on the capital's classical concert scene, Louis Demetrius Alvanis has given solo recitals in leading venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. His international career has taken him throughout Europe and the UK, the Far East and the USA, where he appears every season. His CD recordings on the Meridian and Brilliant Classics labels have been acclaimed by the international music press and broadcasts of his performances include Classic FM, NTV Japan, BBC Radio, Swiss TV, ITV Thames and Radio New Zealand amongst many others.
The Daily Telegraph critic described his playing as "a truly astonishing fire and force" whilst Fanfare Magazine USA wrote: "a gifted and greatly cultivated Chopin pianist. Alvanis is an artist who makes most other pianists sound just a wee bit routine." The Evening Standard commented: “his touch was magical...the sound is with me still”.

LOUIS DEMETRIUS ALVANIS - piano recital 

Saturday, 18 March 2017 at 19:30

We regret to announce that Rose Cholmondeley is indisposed and will be unable to perform 'Months in the Country' with Charles Grant. In place of this Louis Demetrius Alvanis will be performing a solo piano recital including music by Chopin.

PROGRAMME
BEETHOVEN Sonata in C minor, Op.13 'Pathetique'
CHOPIN Scherzo No.1 in B minor, Op.20
CHOPIN Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor, Op.31
- Interval - (20 minutes)
BRINCH Reflective Intersections
CHOPIN Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op.posth.
CHOPIN Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op.22

SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2017 at 7.30pm
RIVKA GOLANI - viola
MICHAEL HAMPTON - piano

'Rivka Golani stands at the head of today’s supreme viola virtuosi – white-hot in delivery, kaleidoscopic in tone colours, electrifying in rhythmic attack, an obvious inspiration to composers’ Financial Times
‘Rivka Golani is a magnificent violist, with impeccable technique and both taste and power … she may be carving out a place of her own that no other performer on the instrument can reach.’ Fanfare Magazine
Michael Hampton performs regularly on major stages around the world as a soloist and chamber musician. He plays in all the major chamber music venues in London and at the Royal Festival Hall and is broadcast frequently on radio. He also performs regularly in music societies and festivals around the UK.
PROGRAMME
BRUCH Kol Nidrei
SHOSTAKOVICH Sonata for Viola and Piano Op.147
- Interval (20 minutes) -
Gregers BRINCH 'Celebration for Solo Viola' Op. 119, No. 2
BRAHMS Sonata No.1 in F minor for Viola and Piano, Op.120

SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2017 at 4.00pm (please note this is an afternoon recital)
AYAKO YOSHIDA - violin

LOUIS DEMETRIUS ALVANIS - piano

Programme:
Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 - Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2 - Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
- Interval (20 minutes) -
Diabolus for Solo Violin - Adonis ALVANIS (b. 1965)
Ulterior Motives for Violin and Piano * - Adonis ALVANIS (b. 1965)

Ayako Yoshida made her U.S. concerto debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. She has since performed throughout North America, Europe and Japan, appearing with such artists as Andre Previn and Yo Yo Ma. Distinguished by her evident joy in music making and a genuine, unforced individuality, her playing has been described by critics as “absolutely radiant”, “technically dazzling” and “unforgettable”. Ayako Yoshida is the winner of the 35th National Competition in Japan, New York’s Concert Artist Guild Award and the Gaetano Zinetti International Competition in Italy.

Since his Royal Festival Hall concerto debut, London born pianist Louis Demetrius Alvanis has established an international career and is a regular on the capital's classical concert scene. He has given solo recitals in leading venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, and appears in Europe and the US every season. His CD recordings on the Meridian and Brilliant Classics labels have been acclaimed by the international music press. The Daily Telegraph critic described his playing as " a truly astonishing fire and force"

Saturday, 14 January 2017 at 7.30pm 

D. H. Lawrence’s SEA and SARDINIA with NOVAFONIC QUARTET                  

Fabio Furia - bandoneon/composer, Gianmaria Melis - violin, Marcello Melis - piano, Giovanni Chiaramonte - double bass, Simeone Latini - narrator/director

Inspired by the travel book Sea and Sardinia, written in 1921 by the English author D.H. Lawrence, this theatrical performance is a journey through the essence of an island and its people, still recognisable today. 

A tribute to an ancient and fascinating land made of music, words and images. The perfect balance of different elements, giving the clearest portrait possible of an unforgettable experience, almost one hundred years ago, as if it was yesterday.

Original music composed by Fabio Furia

Directed by Simeone Latini 

Videos by Luca Sgualdini

BELLPRINTS Handbell Ensemble ICS Christmas Concert

Saturday 10th December 2016 at 7.30pm

Bellprints is a handbell quartet comprised of Jessica Lok, Christine Chan, Phoebe Yeung and Janice Lai.  

These four outstanding musicians are all handbell directors of various community choirs, churches and schools. The quartet are all practicing ringers, performing in numerous concerts and events, both at home and abroad. 

Jessica, Christine and Phoebe came together and started performing duet & trio pieces during their studies at the Concordia University Wisconsin, USA.

Bellprints was adopted as the official name of these outstanding musicians, after they discovered that they shared a common dream for handbell ringing.  Although handbells are very expensive instruments to acquire, Bellprints firmly believe that everyone should be blessed with the joy and happiness evoked by the music they can produce.  

Bellprints want to share the pleasure and joy of handbell music, especially with the elderly, vulnerable, troubled and underprivileged members of our society. Using handbell music  to accompany, comfort  and elevate the hearts and spirits of people in times of need, somewhat akin to the Mary Stevenson poem  “Footprints in the Sand”,  is Bellprints stated objective. It is Bellprints sincere hope and belief that through handbell music everyone can be someone else’s bellprint too.

The concert will be introduced by Sandra and Martin Winter who are members of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain.

PROGRAMME

Carol of the Bells, Deck the Halls, The First Noel, Silver Bells, 
In the Hall of the Mountain King, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,
St. Anthony Chorale, Arioso, Pachelbel's Canon,
Away in a Manger, O Holy Night

 - Interval (20mins) -

Pick A Winner, Christmas Bell Medley, Trumpet Voluntary
Greensleeves, Angels Canon, You Are My All in All,
Prayer Time, Air on the Bells,The Gift of Love,
We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Saturday, 19 November 2016 at 7.30pm

Anna Maria Stanczyk - Piano Romantics

International Concert Series

Following on from her brilliant London appearance in our first season, the great Polish pianist returns for another eagerly awaited recital with a programme featuring music by Chopin and Grieg. Anna Maria Stanczyk has performed in major concert venues such as Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw Van Leer Hall, Jerusalem, and New York's Carnegie Recital Hall, which was reviewed as follows by the New York Times: ”Miss Stanczyk is a pianist with a genuine feel for the Romantic repertory. Her tone although heroic, is capable of a myriad shading subtleties, and she has the intelligence and sense of narrative structure, that is crucial to any reading of this music.”

Programme:

Fryderyk CHOPIN

Polonaise in C minor,  Op.40
Fantasie -Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op.66
3 Mazurkas
Nocturne in  B flat minor 0p.9
Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor Op.31

- Interval (20 minutes) -

Edward GRIEG

6 Lyric pieces:

Wedding Day at Trollhaugen, Arietta, Albumblad, Waltz, Butterfly, Joker 

Suite No.1 Peer Gynt, Op.46

The Morning, The Death of Ase, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King

ALEXANDER CHAPMAN CAMPBELL - solo piano Saturday 4 November at 7.30pm

PORTRAITS OF EARTH
International Concert Series

The young Scottish pianist and composer Alexander Chapman Campbell is just emerging from hours of solitary composing to make his music more widely available. His first album “Sketches of Light” was discovered and championed by Classic FM and has since been played across radio and television stations including the BBC. The “Sketches” have also featured on several chart-topping compilation albums and in 2014 the album was re-released by Decca Records. His second album, “Portraits of Earth “ was the highest new entry in the UK Classical charts on the week of its release.
Comparisons to other composers who produce hypnotic, repetitive - but infinitely tuneful - piano music are inevitable, but Chapman Campbell's pieces have a haunting quality and emotional resonance that deserve repeated listening.
His music has been described as “not jazz, not classical, not improvised, but a glimpse of something new...” and “Portraits of Earth” only deepens this enigma.
PROGRAMME
PORTRAITS OF EARTH
Part One:
Prelude To The Dawn, Song Of The Morning, The Winter Hills,
Song Of The Evening, Flame And Star, The Passing Year
- Interval -
Part two:
The Further Shore, Isle Of The West, The Wind,
The Majesty Of Stillness, The Living Mountain, Prayer For Earth

LOUIS DEMETRIUS ALVANIS - Piano Favourites 

Saturday, 15 October 2016 from 19:30

International Concert Series 2016-17 Season Opening Concert

Alvanis' dazzling pianism needs no introduction to London audiences; a regular on the capital's classical concert scene, he has given solo recitals in leading venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. His international career has taken him throughout Europe and the UK, the Far East and the USA, where he appears every season. His CD recordings on the Meridian and Brilliant Classics labels have been acclaimed by the international music press and broadcasts of his performances include Classic FM, NTV Japan, BBC Radio, Swiss TV, ITV Thames and Radio New Zealand amongst many others.
The Daily Telegraph critic described his playing as "a truly astonishing fire and force" whilst Fanfare Magazine USA wrote: "a gifted and greatly cultivated Chopin pianist. Alvanis is an artist who makes most other pianists sound just a wee bit routine." The Evening Standard commented: “his touch was magical...the sound is with me still”.
In a recital of contrasts, Alvanis’ programme spans classical, romantic, twentieth century and contemporary styles.

Programme:

MOZART Sonata in C, K330

BEETHOVEN Sonata in F, Op.54

CHOPIN Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op.posth.

CHOPIN Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op.22

BRINCH Reflective Intersections

PROKOFIEV Sonata No.3 in A minor, Op.28