Violist

It’s not often that classically trained musicians are encouraged to ‘break away’ from the notation and improvise, but Jessie Montgomery’s piece Break Away asks them to do just that.

Philharmonia Chamber Players: Transfigured Night

Southbank Centre

This free 45-minute concert showcases the skills of six Philharmonia string players.  

It’s not often that classically trained musicians are encouraged to ‘break away’ from the notation and improvise, but Jessie Montgomery’s piece Break Away asks them to do just that. She writes phrases that can be repeated, riffed on, overlap and interrupt one another, and her instructions to the players include the crucial words ‘Have fun!’.  

The passionate emotions of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht make it perhaps his most popular work. Composed in 1902 in a lush, late-Romantic style, it traces a story from a contemporary poem. A woman confesses to her lover that she is pregnant with another man’s child. Her fear and despair give way to joy as he promises that their love for each other will make the child his, and the ‘high, bright night’ itself is transformed.  

The harp takes centre stage in this free early-evening performance by members of the Philharmonia Orchestra.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Paris instrument-makers Pleyel had commissioned Debussy to write a piece to show off the capabilities of a new model of harp. Their rival company, Erard, fought back by commissioning from Ravel this mini-concerto for harp, strings and woodwind, that would make the most of the technical and expressive potential of their instruments. The result is certainly some of the most attractive advertising music ever written.

Philharmonia Chamber Players: Spotlight on the Harp

The Cumnock Tryst" class="css-u850" data-mark-multiple="true">The Cumnock Tryst is delighted to present the official launch of our new chamber group The Cumnock Tryst Ensemble. Created with cellist Christian Elliott, this is a flexible ensemble consisting of some of Scotland’s finest musicians who have had an association with us over the last few years.

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The Cumnock Tryst Ensemble launch

Dumfries Arms Hotel

When Robert Plane’s recording of Iain Hamilton’s Clarinet Concerto was released in 2020, BBC Music Magazine hailed ‘a thrilling rediscovery from an unfairly neglected composer.’ Inspired by the Book of Genesis, William Wallace’s mighty 'Creation Symphony', meanwhile, is by turns rousing, mysterious, and warmly lyrical.

Afternoon Performance: The Sound of Scotland

City Halls

The Philharmonia’s Principal Viola Scott Dickinson and friends play one of the masterpieces of the Baroque era.  

The story goes that an insomniac Russian ambassador asked Bach to compose some ‘smooth and somewhat lively’ keyboard music, for his favourite musician, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, to play to him to cheer his sleepless nights. Scholars debate how much of this is true, but there is no doubt that Bach’s aria and 30 variations are one of the musical pinnacles of the Baroque era.  

RESCHEDULED: Philharmonia Chamber Players: Goldberg Variations

The Philharmonia’s Principal Viola Scott Dickinson and friends play one of the masterpieces of the Baroque era.  

Johann Sebastian Bach’s music continues to captivate listeners nearly three centuries after it was written. His works for strings showcase his genius for structure, balance, and emotional depth — combining technical brilliance with a profound sense of humanity.

In this free Philharmonia Chamber Players concert, Bach’s masterly counterpoint (music composed from lines of melody that interlock in different patterns) is performed by three of the orchestra’s outstanding string players.  

Violist

Scott Dickinson

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 19, 2026

RESCHEDULED: Philharmonia Chamber Players: Goldberg Variations · Philharmonia Orchestra

Mar 29, 2026

Philharmonia Chamber Players: Bach · Philharmonia Orchestra

Past events

Nov 13, 2025

Philharmonia Chamber Players: Transfigured Night · Southbank Centre

Nov 13, 2025

Philharmonia Chamber Players: Transfigured Night · Philharmonia Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in Verklärte Nacht by Schönberg

Southbank Centre

Viola in Break Away by Montgomery

Southbank Centre

Viola in Goldberg Variations by Bach

Philharmonia Orchestra

About

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