Rhapsody in Blue Centenary Concert at St John’s, Smith Square

Performers:
The Purcell School Orchestra and Orion Orchestra
Nicholas Daniel, Conductor
Benji Lock, Piano

Programme: 
Joseph Phibbs | Veloce (WP)
Edward Tait | Fleeting Manhattan (WP)
Antonia Zadrag | American Haze (WP)
Gershwin | Rhapsody in Blue
Eleanor Alberga | Symphony No. 1 ‘Strata’

Tickets are £6 to £20 and available to purchase from the St John’s Smith Square website here.

Exactly 100 years after Rhapsody in Blue burst on to the world in a concert entitled “An Experiment in Modern Music”, The Purcell School and Orion Orchestra join forces with conductor Nicholas Daniel and award-winning pianist Benji Lock to give a centenary birthday performance.

Nicholas Daniel is one of The Purcell School’s most eminent alumni, known around the world as an extraordinary oboist, educator and conductor. His Orion Orchestra exists to bridge the gap between music college and the profession. In partnership with the brilliantly gifted teenagers of The Purcell School, we present a bold programme of new work.

Eleanor Alberga is one of the UK’s most highly regarded composers, and this will be the first London performance of her 1st Symphony ‘Strata’. The rest of the programme comprises three very short new works by Purcell School students Antonia Zadrag and Edward Tait,  and alumnus Joseph Phibbs.

The Purcell School for young musicians is the oldest music school in the UK, home to 200 particularly gifted teenage musicians who study a full academic programme alongside conservatoire-level tuition in programmes covering classical music, jazz, pop and commercial and composition. Alumni go on to study at the top conservatoires and universities around the world, and many have significant careers in music.