The music venue has announced details of its concert programme for January 2021.
The Wigmore Hall is set to stage 36 concerts throughout January it has been confirmed. Each concert is set to be 60–90 minutes in length with no interval, will be available for booking via ballot for Friends of Wigmore Hall. Audience capacity is set at 200 (35% of full capacity) with every seat priced at £25. Fifteen of the concerts will be live streamed in high-definition video on Wigmore Hall’s website.
Friday the 8th January will see the launch of the ‘Wigmore Soloists’ – a new Associate Ensemble fully funded by Wigmore Hall. Led by clarinettist Michael Collins and violinist Isabelle van Keulen, the Wigmore Soloists will see leading instrumentalists coming together to perform a wide range of chamber music repertoire from duets to works for up to 10 musicians. The ensemble makes its debut with Schubert’s Octet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, double bass and string quartet.
The 9th January new music group Apartment House, will take over the venue for a day-long celebration of American avant-garde composer Morton Feldman (1926–1987), a contemporary and close associate of John Cage, Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns and Philip Guston. Over three concerts Apartment House will perform some of the most important and experimental works Feldman wrote for the solo violin, solo piano, string quartet and small ensembles.
Meanwhile, British tenor David Webb will arrive at Wigmore Hall having cycled 300 miles from Cornwall on a ‘Winter Journey’ to raise funds for mental health charities MIND and Music Minds Matter. The marathon kicks off on ‘Blue Monday’ 18th January and will be punctuated by three performances of Schubert’s Winterreise at Truro Cathedral (17th January) and Exeter Cathedral (24th January) – finishing at Wigmore Hall where Webb will share the stage with fellow singers Alessandro Fisher, Rupert Charlesworth, Benedict Nelson, Jonathan Lemalu and pianist Iain Burnside.
Talking about the news, John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall said, “The return of international artists, combined with our ‘Morton Feldman Day’ and the launch of Wigmore Soloists, are steady steps we are taking towards recovery. Meanwhile, in cold damp January, I hope David’s courageous project will bring comfort and solace, as well as urgently needed attention to the issue of mental health confronting so many people at this time.”
For more information about the concerts visit: https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/