Kings Place, London - Programme for June 2026.
Monday, April 13, 2026
Kings Place has announced its programme for June 2026 including some performances that are likely to be of interest to jazz listeners. Press release attached.
We have received the following press release;
Kings Place in June - Renell Shaw presents award-winning ‘Windrush Suite’; Olivia Chaney gives London debut of new Purcell album; Manchester Camerata perform ‘Eight Songs for a Mad King’ and more
KINGS PLACE IN JUNE
Memory Unwrapped continues with Manchester Camerata and Idunnu Münch, the Gavin Bryars Ensemble perform with singer Jess Walker, Artist-in-Residence Renell Shaw presents his Windrush Suite and Olivia Chaney gives the London debut of material from her new Purcell album
Manchester Camerata performs Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King in a programme conducted by John Andrews and directed by Ruth Knight
The Gavin Bryars Ensemble performs his arrangements of iconic songs by Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Kurt Weill, with acclaimed singer Jess Walker and others
Artist-in-Residence Renell Shaw celebrates history, identity and the power of music by performing his Ivor Novello Award-winning Windrush Suite
Lauded folk singer Olivia Chaney presents the London debut of material from her new album reimagining the music of Henry Purcell
CLASSICAL | CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL
Sat 6 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
MANCHESTER CAMERATA
EIGHT SONGS FOR A MAD KING
Memory Unwrapped
Errollyn Wallen By Gis and by Saint Charity
Judith Weir Blue Green Hill
Schumann Kreisleriana
Peter Maxwell Davies Eight Songs for a Mad King
Idunnu Münch mezzo-soprano | Manchester Camerata
John Andrews conductor | Ruth Knight director
Broken sounds and broken instruments: an uncompromising portrayal of the mind. Eight Songs for a Mad King is a melodrama with a libretto based on the real-life observations of King George III, presenting an extravagant and disturbing portrayal of his condition. Vocalising weirdly as he bemoans his fate, trying to teach his instrumentalist-birds to sing – the ensemble’s musicians becoming projections from within his own mind.
£25 – £40
Sun 7 Jun | Hall Two 5pm
LAURA BOWLER AND LOVEMUSIC COLLECTIVE
THE SAD ALBUM
Laura Bowler The Sad Album (2025)
Laura Bowler voice and keyboard | Emiliano Gavito flute | Adam Starkie clarinet
Emily Yabe violin | Céline Papion cello | Christian Lozano Sedano electric guitar
Marin Lambert percussion | Finbar Hosie electronics and sound | Sam Redway stage director
The Sad Album is a powerful, exhilarating new music-theatre work by Laura Bowler and lovemusic collective. Blending raw personal stories with explosive sound, movement and dark humour, it transforms grief into a thrilling live experience. Through virtuosic performance and choreographed chaos, the show invites audiences into an intense, intimate and unforgettable journey through loss, laughter and survival.
£25
Thu 11 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
RIOT ENSEMBLE
PLAY STEVE MARTLAND’S DANCE WORKS – MUSIC OF RESISTANCE AND STILLNESS
Memory Unwrapped | Composer-in-Focus: Steve Martland
Steve Martland Dance Works
Lisa Streich Falter
Frederic Rzewski Coming Together & Attica
Riot Ensemble | Aaron Holloway-Nahum conductor
Riot Ensemble unites three uncompromising voices whose music dances between protest and poise. Martland’s Dance Works surges with raw, rhythmic energy, while Rzewski’s Coming Together and Attica transform repetition into resistance. In contrast, Lisa Streich’s Falter offers a fragile stillness — a quiet meditation on breath, fragility, and the aftermath of movement.
£20 – £40; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s
Fri 12 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
GAVIN BRYARS ENSEMBLE AND JESS WALKER
AFTER THE RAIN
Memory Unwrapped
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
Memory Unwrapped | Brodsky Quartet at Kings Place
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
Memory Unwrapped | Artist in Residence: Olivia Chaney
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
FOLK
Sat 13 Jun | Hall Two 8pm
MIQAYEL VOSKANYAN QUARTET
Songlines Encounters Series
For this world premiere performance Armenian tar virtuoso and vocalist Miqayel Voskanyan assembles an internationally renowned quartet. Centred on the tar – a traditional plucked lute – Voskanyan explores Armenian modes in contemporary compositions and improvisations, shaped by profound jazz sensibility, unusual meters, steady grooves, and detailed rhythmic interaction between four masters of their instruments.
£22
Thu 18 Jun | Hall One 8pm
GNOSS
Gnoss’ signature sound is a rich tapestry of acoustic layers; outstanding musicianship, deep traditional roots and contemporary compositional flair combine to create songs and tunes brimming with character. Triple Scots Trad Music Awards nominees, Gnoss has built an invested following through their forward-thinking take on traditional music and the unique warmth of their live shows.
£19.50; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s
Fri 19 Jun | Hall Two 8pm
SIAN
Sian are a Scottish Gaelic folk band whose acclaimed sophomore album araon won Album of the Year at the 2025 Scots Trad Music Awards. Formed in 2016 through Blas Festival, the band is made up of Ceitlin Lilidh, Eilidh Cormack and Ellen MacDonald, alongside multi-instrumentalist Innes White. With roots in Lewis, Skye and North Uist, Sian’s music is grounded in Gaelic song, shaped by close, carefully balanced vocal harmonies.
£23; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s
Sat 20 Jun | Hall Two 7.30pm
CORMAC BEGLEY
Cormac Begley is widely regarded as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary Irish traditional music.In this special solo performance, Begley brings his singular focus on the bass and baritone concertina to the fore. His acclaimed album B is the first of its kind to centre entirely on the lower registers of the instrument, revealing a rich, resonant sound world that is both intimate and powerful.
£25; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s
Thu 25 Jun | Hall Two 8pm
RANT
A bold, ambitious and reflective collection, SPIN is an album of reinterpretation – RANT’s take on influential tracks from their formative years. Music of bands and players from across the globe who inspired them individually and collectively. The album is a tribute to those influences, and whilst nostalgic by nature has a fresh, confident, energised approach synonymous with the band’s well-established resonant sound.
£23; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s
JAZZ
Sat 6 Jun | Hall Two 8.30pm
SHADOWLANDS – KINSELLA/DOWNES/FINCKER
KIT DOWNES, LAUREN KINSELLA AND ROBIN FINCKER
Inspired by a blend of early music, folk and plainchant Shadowlands weaves a form of contemporary chamber music rich in sonic textures. Thus the language of Kit Downes, an essential pianist of the new British scene, mixes with that of the Anglophile saxophonist and clarinetist Robin Fincker and the Irish singer Lauren Kinsella in a common desire to question slowness and good gestures.
£20; Half-price concessions
Sun 14 Jun | Hall One 3pm
SUNTOU SUSSO AND THE GAMBIAN SUPERSTARS
Songlines Encounters Series
Kora master Suntou Susso is joined by his all-Gambian ensemble, the Gambian Superstars, and UK-based saxophonist Tomoya Forster for their debut UK performance blending kora, balafon, percussion, drums, bass, keys and saxophone. Rooted in a 700-year-old griot tradition, their electrifying sound fuses Mandinka heritage with funk and jazz influences in a joyful, high-energy celebration of West African music.
£26 – £30; Half-price concessions
Sun 21 Jun | Hall Two 7.30pm
JONNY MANSFIELD QUINTET, NOAH STONEMAN, SAM NORRIS, OLLY CHALK
RESONANT POSTCARDS – IN THE ROUND
Founded by Jonny Mansfield, Resonant Postcards is an artist-led label presenting original voices through long-term collaboration and a shared musical language. The label exists as a home for developing musical ideas, telling stories and presenting sound worlds carved through collaboration and community. This evening brings together four of the label’s core artists for a programme that traces the breadth of its output so far.
£25; £10 Under-30s
Thu 25 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
RENELL SHAW
THE WINDRUSH SUITE
Memory Unwrapped | Artist-in-Residence: Renell Shaw
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
Sat 27 Jun | Hall Two 8pm
OLGA AMELCHENKO
HOWLING SILENCE
Edition Records and Kings Place presents
Born in Siberia, shaped by years in Germany, and now immersed in the Paris jazz scene, Olga Amelchenko draws from her rich background to create music imbued with both resilience and passion. Howling Silence gives voice to unspoken truths, while also inviting the audience to reflect on the interplay between silence and expression. It explores the space between the desire to express oneself and the weight of silence.
£25
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 spaces 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