The programme is a love letter to 20th-century song in all its forms. 

From the soaring romanticism of Alma Mahler and Richard Strauss to the bittersweet elegance of Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim, this concert brings together worlds that rarely meet. 

You’ll hear music from beloved films and musicals alongside lush orchestral arrangements of song cycles and solo pieces all carefully curated to tell a story that is moving, varied and richly expressive.

Fantasia Orchestra with Niamh O’Sullivan

Smith Square Hall

Osborne brings his love of both genres to the fore, performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (for piano and trumpet soloists) alongside his favourite jazz standards, arranged specially for this programme. 

We’re also joined by the brilliant trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo, whose playing moves effortlessly from the mellow charm of Gershwin to the raw intensity of Shostakovich. 

Fantasia Orchestra with Steven Osborne

At the centre of the programme is In C by Terry Riley, a revolutionary piece that forever changed the course of music. It’s built from a simple idea: short repeating musical cells layered by musicians in real time, creating something hypnotic, unpredictable and full of life. Riley’s work was deeply influenced by Indian classical traditions and we bring it into even closer conversation with those roots here featuring sitar, tabla and our full orchestra.

Fantasia Orchestra

Jul 3, 2026