ABOUT KINGSTON CHAMBER CONCERTS

Kingston Chamber Concerts presents evening programmes of professional chamber music in a relaxed format, using the small, intimate space of the East End Cafe, in the original chancel of Kingston’s historic All Saints Church, beside the Market Place.

The acoustics are ideal for chamber music.

Kingston Chamber Concerts present different chamber ensembles, voice and piano.

There are six concerts a year, in two mini-series in May-June and September-October, on a mixture of days of the week.

We particularly provide a platform for locally-based professional musicians; and for early-career young professionals. They value the exposure and financial support, while we enjoy music from the wealth of young talent coming out of London’s conservatoires.

Kingston Chamber Concerts are different in style and feel – the intimate scale and space; the closeness to the performers; the small tables for enjoying a glass of wine, or sharing a bottle with friends.

The venue is open beforehand, from 6:45 pm. (And the wine is better than concert hall average.)

‘The concert was a treat for all sorts of reasons…A privilege to enjoy such splendid music so close to home …The audience seated around small tables, reminiscent of the way music was enjoyed prior to 1850 when the modern concert format as we know it today developed… I enjoyed a glass of delicious Riesling on arrival (and a second in the interval!). A really delightful concert, engaging, informative, and very enjoyable. Review by The Cross-Eyed Pianist.

2019 Spring Season concerts featured:

• The Solem Quartet, playing Haydn, Schumann and Beethoven.A young ensemble, with a local background, rapidly gaining reputation around leading venues, including the Wigmore Hall, Oxford’s Holywell Music Room and St John’s Smith Square.
• Pianist Tyler Hay, another young performer rapidly gaining international recognition, including repeat appearances at the Edinburgh Festival.Tyler both plays and talks about his music with assurance and relaxed authority.
• The Mendelsson Concert, demonstrating the range of his music. Local pianist Min young Bae plays a group of Songs Without Wordsand other works, and accompanies local ‘cellist Mary Mundy in the Cello Sonata No 2.  Stephen Westrop plays Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata No 1on All Saints’ fine Frobenius organ.

2018 concerts included:

• The young and increasingly well-known Artesian Quartet with a programme of Beethoven, Hugo Wolf Italian Serenade, Webern, and Mozart’s ‘Hunt’ Quartet Monday 14 May.
• A return visit by the Armorel Piano Trio, joined by with two friends, to play the Schumann and Brahms Piano Quintets – very substantial music, which promises to be a revelation in the East End’s intimate acoustic. Tuesday 29 May.
• A return visit by John Irving and his Walter fortepiano, presenting ‘Beethoven and his mentors’ – the Pathetique, Tempest and Moonlight sonatas, contrasted with works by Haydn and Mozart. Monday 8 October.