Autumn Season Now On Sale

Welcome to Autumn at Saffron Hall, a season packed full of a wide array of wonderful music and world-class talent. None more so perhaps than artists who feel like they’ve become friends of our venue, so highly do they regard their experience in their regular visits here - musicians like the extraordinary instrumentalists Jess Gillam and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Mitsuko Uchida, Benjamin Grosvenor, Paul Lewis, Víkingur Ólafsson and the ceaselessly creative and lavishly gifted violinist Pekka Kuusisto. There is the conductor Edward Gardner who continues to brighten our programme with Resident Orchestra the London Philharmonic, and top-class ensembles like Aurora Orchestra, The Sixteen or the house band from the most famous jazz club in the land, Ronnie Scott’s. It’s great to have them back with us. But there are notable debuts too – the astonishing Sinfonia of London, hand-picked from the UK’s finest orchestral players, who play their hearts out for their inspirational founder John Wilson. We are also thrilled to have American jazz star Lizz Wright on our stage for the first time. 

We believe every concert should be an event, a couple of inspiring hours in the presence of great artistry, enjoying your favourite artists or music close to your heart. Maybe you come to make a discovery or two, or revive interest in something once heard but long forgotten, or to introduce a friend to music and musicians you love. Whatever grabs your attention, we urge you to be as curious as you have always been, f inding something new as well as relishing familiar favourites. Freshly created music is always a special occasion and there are brand new pieces from Mark Simpson and Nico Muhly – two of the most exciting and approachable composers around right now, plus recent music from Errollyn Wallen (in the season’s opening concert) and Caroline Shaw (with Aurora) which we heartily recommend. Do join us for Elena Langer’s emotionally charged one-act opera Ariadne in an English Touring Opera double bill with Purcell’s heroine Dido. 

Outside classical music, there are creative spirits who are as at home performing their own music as other peoples’, such as the evergreen singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan, and Lizz Wright, whose glorious voice and combination of jazz, gospel and folk seems to recreate everything anew and makes her one of contemporary America’s leading vocalists. 

Special moments in time are marked – the year 1959 in jazz (the year of Coltrane, Brubeck, Miles Davis and all) and the 40th birthday of Robert Hollingworth’s superb vocal consort I Fagiolini, appropriately celebrated by the great Tallis 40-part motet Spem in Alium. Roderick Williams and Mark Padmore look toward the coast for inspiration in a beautifully crafted vocal recital of words and music celebrating the sea. 

And no, it’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas! With big band swing, pantomime, a cracker of a concert from Connaught Brass, The Sixteen joining together centuries of carols, we hope we are good seasonal hosts, catering for all tastes. I must just mention two particular events that may seem standard fare, but we feel particularly proud of. Firstly, Cambridge-raised horn player Annemarie Federle, named principal horn of the LPO aged only 23, is our guest soloist in our New Year concert. And our wonderful Saffron Walden Choral Society join forces with one of the world’s great period instrument ensembles the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and soloists from their Rising Stars programme for a very special Messiah – talented emerging artists and our local community mixing with the world’s very best on our stage. 

All this and our regular guest appearances from Britten Sinfonia, Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra and Saffron Opera Group and the usual range of arts activity for - and by - the students of Saffron Walden County High School, and it makes for a venue and a programme rooted in our local community, county and region. 

Whether enjoying jazz, folk or comedy in the informal setting of our foyer, performing or listening inside the hall, or supporting us as parent, volunteer or funder, you are all special to us and are very welcome here. We look forward to seeing you this Autumn. 

Angela Dixon, MBE 
Chief Executive