Name: SJM Concerts Presents Brad Kella Plus Support
Start: 2025-09-17T19:30:00
Location: The Stoller Hall

Brad Kella

SJM Concerts

The Stoller Hall

This semi-staged concert is based on our preconceptions of mental illness, with each piece having a connection to the psychology of the mind – centred around Peter Maxwell Davies’ harrowing depiction of the ‘madness’ of King George III.

Maxwell Davies was a key member of the Manchester School of Composers, who reshaped the landscape of British music in the late 20th century. 8 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 – our musicians becoming projections from within his own mind.

Manchester Camerata: 8 Songs for a Mad King

There are fewer stories more heartfelt and inspiring in music than Brad’s. Though only at the beginning of a promising career, there have been enough peaks and troughs that would discourage the most hardened artists. Growing up initially in Bootle, a working-class suburb of Liverpool, a problematic family situation led to Brad and his twin brother being placed into foster care at the age of seven. In this more stable environment, Brad’s natural gift of music was given room to blossom.  