Is there an English sound we can all agree on? Of course not. But at least we can celebrate the music of English composers and how they have depicted the country over time. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending is enduringly popular as a portrait of rural England. But it was written amongst military manoeuvres preparing for World War I and so must be heard as much as a heartbreaking piece about loss as it is some depiction of bucolic Albion. Our leader, Sophie Rosa, is our violin soloist. If you’ve heard Sophie before you know what a treat you’re in for, and if you haven’t then you really wouldn’t want to miss this performance

We also have music by two composers who bookend the idea of English classical music. Henry Purcell wrote wild, emotive music for both the palaces and backstreets of early 17th century London. Edward Elgar is the composer we associate with pomp and circumstance and the rigour of Empire. But actually no – listen to Elgar’s Serenade for Strings and you can hear the same raw emotion of Purcell. Maybe the English aren’t so straight laced after all!

The Lark Ascending

Derby Cathedral

From guest soloist with some of Europe’s most acclaimed early music ensembles to commissioning new works by the great composers of the 21st century, the common thread connecting it all is Lacey’s artistic curiosity, her generous connection with audiences and her expressive musicianship.

EPSG:4326

Genevieve Lacey & the Sydney Symphony

City Recital Hall

Wollongong Town Hal

Night-time darkness and blazing musical sunlight collide in Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 – a musical epic that packs the whole world into five contrasting movements. Vast orchestral forces – including mandolin, cowbells and guitar – conjure a shifting landscape of waltzes, serenades, fanfares, marches and mysterious ‘night-wandering’ – by turns romantic and humorous, sardonic and sincere. To open, John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and tenor Allan Clayton in the world premiere of award-winning composer Tom Coult’s Monologues for the Curious, inspired by the ghost stories of M. R. James.

Mahler’s Seventh

Royal Albert Hall

The ORA singers present a concert themed around ‘the passing of the Year’, centred around Jonathan Dove’s song-cycle of the same name for double choir and piano, alongside Renaissance songs celebrating sacred feast days, poetry for each season and new work from Manchester-based composer Emily Pedersen, and BBC Philharmonic composer-in-residence Tom Coult.

ORA Singers

The Stoller Hall

The award-winning Hermes Experiment is one of the most exciting forces in contemporary music today. With their arresting stage presence and wildly imaginative programmes, they have been winning over audiences around the country with their effortless ability to bring music from the margins into the mainstream.

Sounds of Now: Hermes Experiment

Portsmouth Guildhall

Nicholas Collon joins us for an adventurous programme of scenic orchestral works featuring the world premiere by Composer-in-Association Tom Coult, Francesca Chiejina performs Seven Early Songs alongside a programme including Strauss' Alpine Symphony.

BBC Philharmonic | 1 April

The Bridgewater Hall

Britten and Tippett shared many traits: both were pacifists; conscientious objectors during the war; homosexuals, at a time when it was publicly outlawed in Britain; and both shared a love of older forms of music. Drawing on one of Corelli’s concerti grossi, Tippett’s Fantasia views the Baroque through modern eyes in this passing from darkness into light.

Tom Coult

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 16, 2026

British Iconoclasts · BBC Philharmonic

Past events

Jun 6, 2026

The Lark Ascending · Sinfonia Viva

23 - 24 Apr, 2026

Genevieve Lacey & the Sydney Symphony · Sydney Symphony Orchestra

About

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