Kings Place, London announces Memory Unwrapped series for 2026.

Wednesday, October 08, 2025

Kings Place's 'Memory Unwrapped' series will run throughout 2026 with musical performances across a range of genres including contemporary classical' jazz and folk. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Kings Place announce Memory Unwrapped series for 2026

Grammy Award nominee Olivia Chaney, RPS Award winners GBSR Duo and Ivor Novello Award winning composer Renell Shaw feature as Artists in Residence

Focus on British composer Steve Martland

Premieres and commissions from Sarah Davachi, Beatrice Dillon, Joe Duddell, Jennifer Higdon, Luke Lewis, Dave Maric, Deborah Pritchard, Renell Shaw and Anna Thorvaldsdottir

New partnership with Ristband Studios who present unique immersive events across opening weekend, combining performance, spatial audio and virtual reality

Special series from the Brodsky Quartet celebrating their rich history with Kings Place and I Fagiolini marking 40th anniversary

Kings Place today announced the first wave of events for Memory Unwrapped, the 18th in the venue’s award-winning series. Starting in January 2026, the series will invite audiences on a journey with artists delving into the past to reimagine the future, uncovering how memory and music can spark transformation and inspire change.

Throughout the series, Memory Unwrapped will explore the extraordinary power of music to stir innermost recollections, to preserve history and to honour the unforgettable - from vibrant stories rooted in the venue’s home of King’s Cross to tributes to the greats of spoken word and song.

Sam McShane, Artistic Director of Kings Place, said: “Music and memory are closely intertwined, offering a powerful means to reflect on the past and inspire the future.
In our year of Memory Unwrapped, we honour the artists and repertoire that have shaped the story of Kings Place Music Foundation, while also introducing new works to spark fresh connections. We are grateful to the artists who bring this vision to life and look forward to sharing performances that illuminate the past as they point towards what lies ahead.”

Artists in Residence

Singer, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award nominee Olivia Chaney features as an Artist in Residence for the series. With a wide range of musical influences, Chaney’s music explores inherited trauma, the clash of tradition and modernity and the paradoxes of love. She presents the debut outing of her new folk-rock band, News From Nowhere, performing new arrangements of classic folk songs and picking up where her acclaimed album The Queen of Hearts left off [27 Feb]. Chaney also celebrates her deep connection to the music of Henry Purcell with the London debut of material from her new Purcell album with a star-studded chamber ensemble, uncovering a new, more accessible side to the much-loved baroque composer [27 Jun], as well as ‘Daughters of Memory’, a meditation on the artist and muse, past and present, featuring new material as well as beloved and lesser-known songs from Chaney’s back catalogue [28 Nov].

GBSR Duo – winners of the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award 2025 – are also Artists in Residence for Memory Unwrapped. Known for fearless, intense and boundary-crossing performances, the ensemble – comprised of George Barton on percussion and Siwan Rhys on piano – has built its reputation on exceptional performances of existing piano-percussion repertoire, ambitious new commissions and inventive collaborations.

GBSR Duo’s opening concert for the series features a rare performance of Morton Feldman’s For Philip Guston, an elegy and meditation on time, friendship and memory – the concert also marks Feldman’s centenary and launches the release on Another Timbre of a 6-CD box set with the GBSR Duo and Taylor Maclennan playing all of Morton Feldman’s music for flute, piano and percussion [18 Jan]. The ensemble later returns for a collaboration with visionary electronic composer Beatrice Dillon for a new commission created especially for this performance, presented through the d&b Soundscape system in Hall Two [8 May], as well as the world premiere of a new hour-long work by Sarah Davachi utilising the d&b Enspace system, transforming Hall Two into a completely new acoustic environment [26 Sep], both commissioned by the Kings Place Music Foundation.

Ivor Novello Award winning composer, songwriter and producer Renell Shaw joins the programme as an Artist in Residence. A platinum selling songwriter who has collaborated with artists such as Rudimental, Nile Rogers, Nitin Sawhney and more, Shaw is also the co-creator of Soulful House/Afro Soul project 2fox and has composed music for theatre productions for Shakespeare’s Globe, Music Theatre Wales and Royal Court Theatre. His residency for Memory Unwrapped includes the live premiere of his Ivor Novello Award-winning piece The Windrush Suite - a heartfelt tribute to his Caribbean roots and the trailblazing Windrush generation - along with Echo in the Bones, his follow-up to The Windrush Suite which explores what it means to be Black British through the eyes of the Windrush generation’s children [25 Jun]. Shaw also presents the world premiere of the third and final chapter of The Windrush Suite as part of the series, entitled Remember Us Tomorrow – the piece looks towards the future and explores Afro-Caribbean heritage after three generations in Britain, and is both a love letter to community and a bold act of cultural preservation. A Q&A session with Shaw will also follow the performance [9 Oct].

Both Olivia Chaney and Renell Shaw feature in the opening event of Memory Unwrapped entitled ‘A Night to Remember’, in an artist takeover of the venue for an immersive night of unforgettable music and storytelling. In Hall One, Festival Voices present an hour-long journey named Fragmented Recollection, exploring memory’s shifting nature through sound with music from Philip Glass, Thomas Tallis, Roger Marsh and Ben Nobuto; next door in Hall Two, cutting-edge Ristband Studios collaborate with d&b audiotechnik to present a powerful virtual reality installation delving into collective memory, false moments and how we remember. Chaney presents an intimate set, with Shaw performing with 2fox to curate a soundtrack for the foyer space, with artists presenting genre-spanning tributes to memory through music and spoken word, celebrating icons such as Miles Davis, David Bowie and more [15 Jan].

Composer Focus – Steve Martland
Throughout 2026, Kings Place will celebrate the bold, unconventional voice of British composer Steve Martland. Known for his commitment to music education and accessibility, Martland’s legacy will shape a year of reflection and inspiration, generously supported by The Vaughan Williams Foundation and The Francis Routh Trust. Acclaimed percussionist Colin Currie has a deep connection to the music of Steve Martland – both as a close collaborator and as a performer, having premiered many of his works – and celebrates his legacy in a landmark Kings Place production: a bold, high-octane performance of the music of the Steve Martland Band with the Colin Currie Group, joined by three members of the original Steve Martland Band [17 Apr]. Other performances of Martland’s work throughout the year include the Hebrides Ensemble pairing his Kgakala and Reveille with works by his contemporaries and the next generation of British composers, including a new work by Dave Maric [27 Mar], and the Carice Singers perform Street Songs, one of Martland’s most iconic works, in an evening that explores the connections, mentorship and innovations that define the composer’s world with pieces by Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Julia Wolfe and the London premiere of a new work from Luke Lewis [14 May].

Premieres and Commissions

New music and commissions form an important part of programming at Kings Place and Memory Unwrapped is no exception, with over 10 premieres currently featuring throughout the series. The Colin Currie Quartet present the world premiere of Joe Duddell’s This Place, These People (a Kings Place Music Foundation commission, generously supported by the Contessa Fund), a new work for percussion quartet and vintage synths, which weaves together personal histories and musical portraiture to shine a light on unsung heroes from the King’s Cross migrant community [31 Jan]. Voces8 and Jack Liebeck showcase another world premiere and Kings Place commission, supported by the Contessa Fund, with a new work from Deborah Pritchard, paired with works by Sir James MacMillan, Caroline Shaw, JS Bach and Paul Drayton’s arrangement of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending [24 Sep].

The Attacca Quartet return to Kings Place to perform the UK premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s Mujer Ángel in a programme that explores music’s response to grief, conflict and transcendence across time, featuring Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 and George Crumb’s searing Black Angels [24 Jan]. Grammy-nominated ensemble Neave Trio present the London premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s Vivid Green and Zesty Orange, paired with works by Piazzolla [13 Feb], and the Phaedra Ensemble give the UK premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Enigma in a concert that also celebrates the 90th birthday of Steve Reich, featuring some of the composer’s most iconic works including WTC 9/11, Violin Phase and Triple Quartet [20 Mar].

Other highlights

The Brodsky Quartet celebrate their rich artistic history with Kings Place with a series of three concerts, starting with a genre-spanning programme of Frank Sinatra, Barber, Copland, Britten and more with legendary bass-baritone Sir Willard White [20 Feb]. The Quartet return in June with award-winning cellist Laura van der Heijden to perform Schubert’s Quintet [26 Jun] and again in October with a programme that illuminates the power of memory and storytelling in music, with works by Robert Davidson, Golijov, Bartók and Dvořák [1 Oct]. Acclaimed vocal ensemble I Fagiolini celebrate its 40th anniversary with a Kings Place residency, beginning with a composer portrait of Spanish renaissance master Tomás Luis de Victoria [26 Mar] before presenting a semi-staged take on Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, paired with miniatures from King Arthur, Raise, raise the voice and From hardy climes [31 May]. The final concert of the series offers an intimate guide to Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, where I Fagiolini join forces with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble to explore the intricate details of this work in the acoustic clarity of Hall One [18 Sep].

Kings Place Resident Ensemble Aurora Orchestra join forces with father and daughter duo Brett Dean and Lotte Betts-Dean for ‘Music of Memory’, a varied programme of music that not only celebrates Dean’s 65th birthday but also explores memory with works by Copland, Radiohead, Ives, Boulanger and Dean himself [17 Jan]. Principal players of the Orchestra later present ‘Echoes of Youth’, an evening of chamber music that forms a meditation on youth including Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds K 452, Poulenc’s Sextet and Janáček’s Mládí (Youth) [19 Mar], and the Orchestra return later in the year with the BBC Singers for an evening of Psalms, featuring new settings of psalms texts by Nico Muhly, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Bach’s Magnificat, conducted by Nicholas Collon and introduced by writer and author Edmund de Waal [29 Nov]. Other classical highlights include trumpeter Matilda Lloyd collaborating with the Goldmund Quartet to recreate the spirit of a 19th-century musical salon [6 Feb], and Britten Sinfonia and soprano Elizabeth Watts marking 50 years since the death of Benjamin Britten in a programme that focuses on the years he spent in North America during World War II [16 May].

The Solem Quartet also celebrate Steve Reich’s 90th birthday, performing his iconic work Different Trains; they’re also joined by acclaimed vocalist Alice Zawadzki to perform reinterpretations of songs by Kate Bush [14 Mar]. Gavin Bryars – winner of the 2024 Ivors Innovation Award – also celebrates the songs of pop legends such as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young as well as Kurt Weill, with his Gavin Bryars Ensemble performing his arrangements of iconic works with singer Jess Walker [12 Jun].

Folk highlights include the Sam Sweeney Trio presenting their trademark sound of blending English folk tradition and contemporary energy, performing brand new material as well as works from across Sweeney’s discography [25 Apr], and Kris Drever – one third of award-winning supergroup Lau - plays songs from his new album alongside his storied interpretations of traditional material [26 Apr]. Cardiff-based genre-defying ensemble Slowly Rolling Camera present a rare London performance [17 Jan].

Tickets for the first wave of Memory Unwrapped events are available now on the Kings Place website. More events will be announced in due course.

Memory Unwrapped – first wave events

CLASSICAL | CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL  

Thu 15 Jan | Multiple venues from 7.00pm
A night to remember
WITH FESTIVAL voices, olivia chaney, 2FOX, ristband studios & more
ONE NIGHT. INFINITE MEMORIES.
A bold night of encounters, celebrating memory, music and connection for the opening of Memory Unwrapped.  The night begins with Festival Voices performing a one-hour tour-de-force of Tallis, Glass, Nobuto and more; step into a live music VR experience created by Ristband Studios; and encounter the haunting intimacy of Olivia Chaney, amongst many other experiences.
£45 (£40 early bird); Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 17 Jan | Hall One 7.30pm
AURORA ORCHESTRA: MEMORY
WITH BRETT DEAN & LOTTE BETTS-DEAN
Copland Simple Gifts; At the River
John Adams Shaker Loops (Pt. 1 – Shaking and Trembling)
Brett Dean Epitaphs I: Only I will know; Recollections (VI. Locket)
Charles Ives Memories; The Unanswered Question
Radiohead Harry Patch (In Memory Of)
Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin (V. Menuet)
Caroline Shaw Cant voi l’aube
Couperin Les Barricades Mystérieuses (arr. Thomas Adès)
Kurtág Ligatura-Message to Frances Maria (The Answered Unanswered Question); Kafka-Fragmente (Part 4)
Paul Hindemith Trauermusik
Kurt Weill Nanna’s Lied
Nadia Boulanger Versailles
Molly Drake I Remember
Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo-soprano |  Brett Dean conductor |  Aurora Orchestra
Music and memory have a deep-rooted, emotive connection. Marking his 65th birthday year, composer-conductor Brett Dean joins mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean to weave together fragments of remembrance: tributes, elegies, snapshots, and echoes across time. Crossing centuries and voices, tonight reminds us that memory is never still – it lingers, shimmers, vanishes, and returns.
£29.50 – £69.50; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 18 Jan | Hall One 3pm
GBSR DUO
for philip guston
Morton Feldman For Philip Guston
George Barton percussion |  Siwan Rhys piano/celeste |  Taylor MacLennan flutes
The close friendship between Morton Feldman and the painter Philip Guston collapsed in 1970, an estrangement that would endure until the painter’s death in 1980. Four years later Feldman would dedicate this contemplative epic to his late friend and to their lost friendship; a work that conjures an emotionally complex world of hazy perceptions and hazier reflections.
£23.50; Half-price concessions

Sat 24 Jan | Hall One 7.30pm
Attacca quartet
music of the fallen
Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
Gabriela Ortiz Mujer Ángel
George Crumb Black Angels
Amy Schroeder and Domenic Salerni violin |  Nathan Schram viola |  Andrew Yee cello
The two-time Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet is recognized and acclaimed as one of the most versatile and outstanding ensembles of the moment. A true quartet for modern times, at this performance they glide through classical and contemporary repertoire as one of the world’s most innovative and respected ensembles, bringing Mendelssohn, Gabriela Ortiz and George Crumb.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 31 Jan | Hall One 7.30pm
colin currie quartet
this place, these people
Andy Akiho Pillar I; Pillar IV
Joe Duddell This Place, These People (World Premiere – Kings Place Music Foundation commission, supported by the Contessa Fund)
Kevin Volans Four Marimbas
Steve Reich Drumming [Part 1]
Colin Currie, Owen Gunnell, Adrian Spillett and Sam Walton percussion
A revelatory evening of rhythm, resonance, and remembrance, led by the trailblazing Colin Currie Quartet. Featuring powerful works for percussion by some of contemporary music’s most inventive voices, this concert is a vibrant exploration of place, memory, and musical innovation. At the heart of the programme is the World Premiere of This Place, These People by Joe Duddell; a commission by Kings Place Music Foundation.
£25 – £40

Fri 6 Feb | Hall One 7.30pm
MATILDA lloyd & Goldmund quartet
JS Bach Concerto in D (after Vivaldi), BWV 972
Haydn String Quartet in E flat, Op. 33, No. 2, The Joke;
Haydn Trumpet concerto in E flat [Hob. Vlle: 1] (arr. Jan Leontsky)
Marianna von Martines La tempesta: Alfin fra le tempeste
Pauline Viardot Chanson de la Pluie; Havanaise
Fauré Le papillon et la fleur
Schubert String Quartet No.14 in D minor, Death and the Maiden, D. 810 – II. Andante con moto
Gershwin Three Preludes (arr. Michael Thomas)
Matilda Lloyd trumpet |  Florian Schötz and Pinchas Adt violin
Christoph Vandory viola |  Raphael Paratore cello
Step into the spirit of a 19th-century musical salon – a space where music meets conversation and every note tells a story. The trumpet steps into the role of host and narrator, guiding the audience on a journey through the brilliance of Bach, elegance of Haydn and dynamism of Gershwin. Notably, the programme features works by two female composers who held salon concerts, Marianna von Martines and Pauline Viardot.
£20 – £40; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Thu 12 Feb | Hall One 7.30pm
NEAVE TRIO
MUSICAL REMEMBERANCES
Clara Schumann Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17
Rachmaninoff Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor
Brahms Piano Trio in B, Op. 8
Anna Williams violin |  Mikhail Veselov cello |  Eri Nakamura piano
Grammy-nominated ensemble Neave Trio invite you on an intimate journey through memory, love, and loss in this deeply expressive programme of Romantic piano trios, after their release of their album of the same title in 2022. Reflecting memory, legacy, and emotional depth through piano trios that span cultures and eras, this programme draws together three towering voices of the Romantic and late-Romantic tradition.
£20 – £40

Fri 13 Feb | Hall One 7.30pm
NEAVE TRIO
PIAZZOLLA FOUR SEASONS OF BUENOS AIRES
Piazzolla Four Seasons of Buenos Aires; Oblivion; Libertango
Jennifer Higdon Vivid Green and Zesty Orange (London premiere)
Anna Williams violin |  Mikhail Veselov cello |  Eri Nakamura piano
Grammy-nominated ensemble Neave Trio bring their dynamic artistry to this electrifying programme, blending the sultry passion of tango with vibrant contemporary colour. At the heart of the evening is Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The programme also features the London Premiere of Vivid Green and Zesty Orange by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon.
£25 – £50

Fri 20 Feb | Hall One 7.30pm
BRODSKY QUARTET & SIR WILLARD WHITE
Krysia Osostowicz and Ian Belton violin |  Paul Cassidy viola
Jacqueline Thomas cello |  Sir Willard White bass
Sir Willard White joins the acclaimed Brodsky Quartet for an evocative, nostalgic programme celebrating Sinatra, the Hollywood Quartet and timeless classics from Gershwin to Copland, Britten, Barber, Kern, Schubert and more. This concert pays homage to the working relationship between the Hollywood Quartet and Frank Sinatra in the 1950s which resulted in the classic Close to You album.
£25 – £55; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 14 Mar | Hall One 7.30pm
SOLEM QUARTET & ALICE ZAWADSKI
different trains
Steve Reich at 90
Steve Reich Different Trains
Alice Zawadzki selected songs
Kate Bush selected songs (arr. Will Newell)
Join the Solem Quartet and Alice Zawadzki for a concert of personal histories told through music, spanning time and genre. The Solem Quartet perform Steve Reich’s iconic Different Trains, a deeply personal work; and Alice Zawadzki joins them for a set of her own songs which speak to her own story. Offering dialogue to Alice’s compositions, songs by the visionary Kate Bush complete the night in celebration.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Thu 19 Mar | Hall One 7.30pm
AURORA ORCHESTRA PRINCIPAL PLAYERS
ECHOES OF YOUTH
Mozart Quintet for piano and winds in E flat, K. 452
Poulenc Sextet for piano and winds, FP 100
Judith Weir Airs from another Planet
Janáček Mládí (Youth)
Aurora Orchestra’s Principal Players bring together three masterpieces of chamber music, each alive with the memory of a time long past. Mozart’s Quintet was the work he most wanted to be remembered for; Poulenc’s irrepressible Sextet paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of 1920s Paris; Judith Weir’s Airs from another Planet reimagines three traditional Scottish tunes; Janáček’s Mládí (Youth) reaches further back still.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 20 Mar | Hall One 7.30pm
phaedra Ensemble
SLOW CHANGE: THE MUSIC OF STEVE REICH
Steve Reich at 90
Steve Reich WTC 9/11;  Violin Phase; Triple Quartet
Anna Thorvaldsdottir Enigma (UK premiere)
John Coltrane Africa (arr. Jamie Hamilton)
Phaedra Ensemble’s Slow Change explores memory and transformation through Reich’s pulsing minimalism, Coltrane’s newly arranged Africa, and Thorvaldsdottir’s expansive Enigma (UK premiere), where patterns and echoes unfold into shifting landscapes of sound. The programme is built largely around the string quartet, tracing how repetition, transformation, and memory continue to resonate in contemporary music.
£20 – £40; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Thu 26 Mar | Hall One 7.30pm
I FAGIOLINI
THE MUSIC OF TOMÁS LUIS DE VICTORIA
I Fagiolini at Kings Place
Tomás Luis de Victoria Alma Redemptoris mater; Tenebrae for Maundy Thursday; Super flumina Babylonis; Ave Maria; Vere languores nostros; Tu es Petrus; Nigra sum; Vidi speciosam
I Fagiolini |  Robert Hollingworth director
What is it about the music of Spanish Renaissance master Tomás Luis de Victoria that lifts it above other composers? As a sort of musical El Greco, there seems to be something in the aural brushwork that adds depth and spice, alongside an extraordinary joy and reverence in the text. Robert Hollingworth guides you through the symbolism with performers steeped in this music.
£25 – £60; Half-price concessions

Fri 27 Mar | Hall One 7.30pm
hebrides ensemble
shifting baseline syndrome
Composer-in-Focus Steve Martland
Steve Martland Kgakala; Reveille
Georgina MacDonell Finlayson Silent Spring
Eleanor Alberga The Wild Blue Yonder
George Crumb Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale)
Dave Maric Shifting Baseline Syndrome
Aileen Sweeney The Wooden Web
Hebrides Ensemble brings together bold contemporary voices exploring nature, memory, and sound. Works by Steve Martland, our Composer-in-Focus, frame a new commission from his long-time partner in performance and composition Dave Maric, Shifting Baseline Syndrome; a powerful reflection on our relationship with nature, providing a commentary on what we classify as newly accepted norms.
£25 – £32; £10 Under-30s; Half-price concessions

Fri 17 Apr | Hall One 7.30pm
colin currie group performs the music of the steve martland band
Composer-in-Focus Steve Martland
Steve Martland Horses of Instruction; Starry Night; Kick; Beat the Retreat; Eternal Delight
Colin Currie conductor / percussion |  Owen Gunnell percussion |  Siwan Rhys piano
Tim Maple electric guitar |  Malcolm Moore bass guitar |  Sam Wilson drum kit
Donald Grant violin |  Robin Michael cello |  Kyle Horch and Naomi O’Sullivan saxophones
This bold Kings Place production marks a thrilling first: the Colin Currie Group performing the music of the Steve Martland Band, unleashing the full force of Martland’s sound, epic in scale, electrifying in energy, and uncompromising in spirit. For Colin Currie, Martland was both a mentor and a close friend, with his very first professional appointment with the Steve Martland Band. Many of these iconic works were premiered by Currie himself, and tonight he reunites with several of Martland’s collaborators to deliver them with the passion, precision and raw power that defined the composer’s life and work.
£35 – £65; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 8 May | Hall Two 8pm | Soundscape
GBSR DUO AND BEATRICE DILLON
  George Barton percussion |  Siwan Rhys piano |  Beatrice Dillon |  TTB
Kings Place Artists-in-Residence, GBSR Duo, team up with boundary-pushing composer and producer, Beatrice Dillon. Exploring synthetic patterning with free-hand acoustic textures, this new work, commissioned by Kings Place Music Foundation, is premiered through our immersive d&b Soundscape system. The night also features a DJ set from TTB aka Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura (Sabi Arts/NTS), the London cultural programmer and selector who combines music, radio and visual art. A one-off evening of close listening, new ideas and bold sound worlds.
£22

Thu 14 May | Hall One 7.30pm
carice singers
martland
Composer-in-Focus Steve Martland
Steve Martland ‘Dance to your Daddy’ and ‘Fire down below’ (from Sea Songs); Summer Rounds;
Street Songs; Skywalk;
Steve Reich Know what is above you
Luke Lewis [new work]
Louis Andriessen Un beau baiser
Julia Wolfe Guard my tongue
The Carice Singers |  George Parris conductor
Steve Martland was interested in the energy and the vitality of the human voice throughout his career; the Carice Singers will perform his major works for choir. Works of driven directness from American minimalist composers Steve Reich and Julia Wolfe give context to Martland’s aesthetic, and the programme also includes a piece from Martland’s teacher Louis Andriessen and a new work by Luke Lewis.
£20 – £45; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 16 May | Hall One 7.30pm
britten sinfonia with elizabeth watts
britten in america
Britten Young Apollo; Les Illuminations
Copland Appalachian Spring;  Clarinet Concerto
Bowles Six Preludes
Elizabeth Watts soprano |  Oleg Shebeta-Dragan clarinet
Huw Watkins piano |  Britten Sinfonia
50 years since Britten’s death, Britten Sinfonia present a programme that focuses on the years he spent in North America during World War II. Sensuous music with a bright sheen written in Canada and the USA is paired with music by his ‘very dear friend’ and mentor, Aaron Copland, from the same decade and piano works by his student Paul Bowles, who would later become better known as the author of The Sheltering Sky.
£20 – £40; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 31 May | Hall One 3pm
I FAGIOLINI
PURCELL DIDO & AENEAS
I Fagiolini at Kings Place
Purcell Dido & Aeneas; ‘The sparrow and the gentle dove’ (from Hardy Climes);
‘Mark how readily’ (Raise, raise the voice); Pavan in 4 parts / Hornpipe (King Arthur)
Julia Doyle Dido |  Frederick Long Aeneas |  Rowan Pierce Belinda
Martha McLorinan Sorceress |  I Fagiolini |  Robert Hollingworth director
I Fagiolini’s semi-staged take on Purcell’s masterpiece – written when he was just 29. So much variety in a single hour: great tunes, sparkling instrumental interludes, hysterical witches, dance music and of course the great lament, ‘When I am laid in earth’. Purcell’s varied genius is also celebrated in I Fagiolini’s amuse-bouche, perfect miniatures from Britain’s Orpheus.
£25 – £65; Half-price concessions

Fri 12 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
gavin bryars ensemble and jess walker
AFTER THE RAIN, songs of waits, cohen and weill
Leonard Cohen A Singer Must Die; Song of Bernadette; That’s no way to say Goodbye
Kurt Weill Lost in the Stars
Tom Waits Georgia Lee; A Little Rain; Lullaby; The Briar and the Rose; Johnsburg, Illinois
Neil Young Only Love can Break your Heart
Gavin Bryars and Yuri Bryars bass / piano |  Jess Walker voice |  Audrey Riley cello
James Woodrow acoustic & electric guitar |  Morgan Goff viola |  Roger Heaton multi-wind
Gavin Bryars, recipient of the 2024 Ivors Innovation Award, is one of the most influential composers of our age. For After the Rain he reunites with the remarkable singer Jess Walker to build on their Tom Waits
collaboration, Mercy and Grand. This new programme with the Gavin Bryars Ensemble includes his hypnotic arrangements of iconic numbers by Waits, Leonard Cohen, Kurt Weill and Neil Young.
£25 – £32; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 26 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
brodsky quartet and laura van der heijden
schubert quintet
JS Bach Violin Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005 (arr. Paul Cassidy)
Britten String Quartet No. 3 in G, Op. 94
Schubert String Quintet in C, Op. 163 (posth.), D. 956
Krysia Osostowicz and Ian Belton violin |  Paul Cassidy viola
Jacqueline Thomas and Laura van der Heijden cello
As part of Memory Unwrapped, The Brodsky Quartet continue their Kings Place 2026 residency with one of their recent collaborators – the young cellist, Laura van der Heijden, to perform Schubert’s String Quintet. This evening’s programme spans over two centuries of musical expression, showcasing the intimate yet powerful voice of chamber music through three distinctive works.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 27 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
olivia chaney
sons of art
Olivia Chaney’s deep connection to the music of Henry Purcell runs throughout her life. This show will be
the London debut of material from Olivia’s new Purcell album, featuring a star-studded chamber ensemble. Come and hear a modern English songwriter at the height of her powers interpreting one of England’s great composers in a refreshingly natural and contemporary way.
£22 – £30; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 18 Sep | Hall One 7.30pm
I FAGIOLINI
MONTEVERDI VESPERS (1610)
I Fagiolini at Kings Place
Monteverdi 1610 Vespers
I Fagiolini |  The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble |  Robert Hollingworth director
I Fagiolini’s new recording of this iconic work is released in August 2026. Come and hear this celebrated Monteverdi group perform it live in their 40th anniversary with celebrated Monteverdi singers such as Nicholas Mulroy, Matthew Long, Julia Doyle, Ciara Hendrick and more plus the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, it will be a feast for the senses.
£28 – £70

Thu 24 Sep | Hall One 8pm
voces8 and jack liebeck
flight of the soul
James Macmillan Domine Non Secundum
Taylor Scott Davis Effortlessly
JS Bach Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 (with interspersed chorales)
Ola Gjeilo Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium)
Caroline Shaw and the swallow
Deborah Pritchard [new work] (World Premiere, Commissioned by Kings Place Music Foundation, with support from the Contessa Fund)
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending (arr. Paul Drayton)
Jack Liebeck violin |  VOCES8
Flight of the Soul brings together vocal ensemble VOCES8 with internationally acclaimed violinist Jack Liebeck in a programme that celebrates the human spirit, transcendence and transformative power of music. The flight of the soul has long inspired poets, philosophers, and composers picking up on themes including a metaphor for hope, spiritual searching and the pursuit of beauty.
£25 – £55; £10 Concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 26 Sep | Hall Two 7.30pm | Soundscape
GBSR Duo and Sarah Davachi
Sarah Davachi [new work] (World Premiere, Commissioned by Kings Place Music Foundation)
Artists-in-Residence GBSR Duo join forces for the very first time with acclaimed Canadian composer Sarah Davachi, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music today. Known internationally for her immersive and contemplative sound worlds, Davachi’s work explores the subtle intricacies of timbre and the perception of time, drawing listeners into states of heightened attention and deep listening. In this special concert, GBSR Duo give the World Premiere of a newly commissioned work by Davachi, presented in partnership with d&b audiotechnik’s en-space technology. This pioneering system allows acoustic environments to be shaped and transformed in real time, opening up a completely new dimension of listening in Hall Two.
£22; £10 Concessions

Thu 1 Oct | Hall One 7.30pm
Brodsky quartet
DVOŘÁK STRING QUARTET NO.12 ‘AMERICAN’ 
Robert Davidson ‘Remembering Stradbroke’
Osvaldo Golijov ‘Tenebrae’
Bartók String Quartet No.6
Dvořák String Quartet No.12 ‘American’
Krysia Osostowicz and Ian Belton violin |  Paul Cassidy viola |  Jacqueline Thomas cello
This ‘Memories’ inspired programme has something for everyone. From Davidson’s irresistible tropical island to Golijov’s juxtaposition of a war-torn, urban scene and a spectral vista. Bartók’s heartbreaking yearning for his beloved Hungary to Dvořák’s bristling celebration of America’s wide open spaces. Euphoria, tragedy, optimism, nostalgia – it’s all here.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 29 Nov | Hall One | 16:00
AURORA ORCHESTRA: WHERE MEMORY SINGS
Memory Unwrapped
Nico Muhly New psalm settings
Bernstein Chichester Psalms
Bach Magnificat
          BBC Singers | Aurora Orchestra  
          Nicholas Collon conductor | Edmund de Waal presenter
For thousands of years the Psalms have been sung and remembered – words of sorrow, joy and hope that have travelled across generations and cultures. Aurora Orchestra’s latest collaboration with the BBC Singers brings together three composers, centuries apart, who each return to those ancient texts in their own way. At its heart is Bach’s Magnificat – Mary’s song of praise, which itself remembers and reimagines the psalm tradition in the light of Christ. Bach’s setting summons the splendour of Lutheran Leipzig, layering centuries of sacred tradition into music bursting with colour, invention and joy. Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms recalls the sounds of his Jewish heritage with music that is tender, playful and dramatic. And in newly-composed settings of psalm texts, Nico Muhly gives these timeless words a fresh, modern voice, alive with echoes and fragments like half-remembered prayers.
The programme is co-curated and introduced by writer and artist Edmund de Waal, who reflects on the Psalms as vessels of memory, carrying human experience across centuries. Together, words and music reveal the Psalms as a living thread that binds past, present and future.
£29.50-£69.50; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

FOLK  

Fri 27 Feb | Hall One 7.30pm
OLIVIA CHANEY: news from nowhere
electric folk
This is the debut outing for Olivia Chaney’s glamorous new folk-rock band, which she’s calling (for now) News from Nowhere. Picking up where her acclaimed album The Queen of Hearts left off,  Olivia and her band will continue the trans Atlantic conversation that Offa Rex began through special arrangements of English and American folk classics, including Silver Dagger, Black is the Colour, and The Cuckoo.
£22 – £30; Half-price concessions

Sat 25 Apr | Hall One 7.30pm
Sam Sweeney Trio
Folk Weekend
Known for his expressive playing and bold musical vision, Sam Sweeney leads the trio through richly textured arrangements of traditional and original material. With Ben Nicholls’ deep, resonant bass and Louis Campbell’s innovative guitar work, the trio crafts a sound that is both grounded in English folk tradition and alive with contemporary energy. Sam will delve into his back catalogue and air some brand new material.
£20 – £25; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 26 Apr | Hall One 7pm
kris drever
Folk Weekend
Raised in the Orkney Islands, Kris Drever has carved out a unique place at the intersection of traditional folk and modern acoustic music, as a solo artist and as one-third of the award-winning trio Lau. His solo work combines lyrics of depth and authenticity with expertly pitched arrangements, exploring themes of place, identity, and social change, delivered with clarity, compassion, and poetic insight.
£20 – £25; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sat 28 Nov | Hall One 7.30pm
OLIVIA CHANEY
daughters of memory
This is a chance to hear some of Olivia Chaney’s latest compositions and arrangements. Olivia will perform on her characteristically virtuosic range of instruments, from the Indian harmonium to the guitar, accompanied by long-term collaborator Jordan Hunt (violin/vocals). Expect melodies and lyrics that explore motherhood, poetry, love, loss, tradition, modernity, suffering, and redemption.
£22 – £30; £10 Concessions

JAZZ  

Sun 18 Jan | Hall Two 19:30
slowly rolling camera
Dave Stapleton keyboards |  Deri Roberts electronics |  Elliot Bennett drums
Stuart McCallum guitar |  Nic Kummert saxophones |  Jon Goode bass
Since 2013, Cardiff-based Slowly Rolling Camera has emerged as a formidable force on the city’s music scene, meticulously forging a unique identity that blends soul-stirring grooves, magnetic hooks, and vivid emotional contrasts. Their signature sound establishes them as true artisans of sound, continually exploring and expanding the horizons of musical innovation.
£22; £10 Concessions

Thu 25 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
renell shaw
the windrush suite
Renell Shaw The Windrush Suite; Echo in the Bones
Renell Shaw musical director / conductor / vocalist
Join Artist-in-Residence Renell Shaw for an evening that celebrates history, identity, and the power of music. Featuring a world-class live ensemble, intimate family recordings, and striking visuals, Shaw turns memory into music, bringing the Windrush story to life with depth and soul. The second half presents Echo in the Bones, Shaw’s electrifying follow-up to The Windrush Suite.
£20 – £25

Fri 9 Oct | Hall One 7.30pm
renell shaw
remember us tomorrow
Renell Shaw Remember Us Tomorrow
Renell Shaw musical director / conductor / vocalist
Join Artist-in-Residence Renell Shaw for the world premiere of Remember Us Tomorrow, the third and final chapter of his acclaimed work The Windrush Suite. With Remember Us Tomorrow, Shaw turns towards the future. This powerful new work asks what it means to be of Afro-Caribbean heritage after three generations in Britain, raising a fourth generation in a world that is both hyper-connected and deeply divided.
£20 – £25

CONTEMPORARY

Fri 16 Jan & Sat 17 Jan | Hall Two 5pm, 5.20pm & 5.40pm
RISTBAND PRESENTS: FORMATIONS
Ristband Studios presents a unique award-winning immersive concert combining live music, performance, spatial audio and virtual reality, taking audiences on a journey through memories that are both real and surreal. Visitors will also experience Machine Memory, an installation revealing how computers “see” the world, recognizing objects and movement, and remembering them over time.
£12.50 Early bird price

ABOUT KINGS PLACE
Kings Place is an adventurous music and arts venue with an ambition to inspire local community and promote the power of the arts in our society.  Its venues enable learning, discovery, debate and experiences that are powerfully intimate, enabling human connection between artists and audiences.
The dedicated and supportive team programmes a series of festivals and events, developing cross-arts collaborations and artistic relationships that deliver unforgettable live experiences.
The award-winning concert series, Unwrapped, is its flagship programme, exploring big ideas and overarching themes across the year. Kings Place is also the UK’s home of live podcasting as creators and hosts of the London Podcast Festival.
As a registered charity Kings Place does not receive regular public funding. Income is generated through ticket sales, donations, grants, and the staging of world-class conferences and events.

Kings Place, 90 York Way, King’s Cross, London N1 9AG
http://www.kingsplace.co.uk