G Live announces the thirteenth Guildford International Concert Season

G Live has today announced the 2024/2025 Guildford International Concert Season. This thirteenth Season offers an expanded programme that includes performances from orchestras, ensembles and solo artists, work for younger audiences, the National Youth Chamber Choir and a series of lunchtime concerts.

The Guildford Season opens on 9 October 2024, when Lviv National Philharmonic of Ukraine performs Elgar’s Cello Concerto featuring Czech cellist Jiři Bárta. International orchestras also include Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic (9 April 2025) with Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony and Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’, and Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra of Colón Opera (16 May 2025) who perform Carmen Suite No.1 marking the 150th anniversary of Bizet’s opera. British pianist Mark Bebbington makes a welcome return to G Live’s stage when he joins Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra in Delius’ Piano Concerto.

Presenting an evening of classical favourites, London Mozart Players perform Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (7 February 2025), and to conclude the Season, Emma Johnson performs Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra for the Environment. The orchestra of hand-picked virtuoso players was formed by Emma and her husband, double bass player Chris West, in 2023. Their programme, which draws inspiration from nature, also includes Holst’s Brook Green Suite, Puccini’s Crisantemi and Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Flight of the Bumblebee, and closes with Mozart’s Symphony No.40.

Clarinettist Emma Johnson also collaborates with the National Youth Chamber Choir to perform her Songs of Celebration in a special Christmas concert (5 December 2024), that also features the world premiere of Emma’s short piece Joy for full choir and clarinet. The National Youth Chamber Choir is made up of outstanding young singers aged 18-25 from across the UK. Previous concerts have included appearances at St John’s Smith Square, Coventry Cathedral, The London Handel Festival and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

New for 2024/2025, a programme of intimate lunchtime concerts will complement the Guildford International Concert Season. These include The Korros Ensemble (24 January 2025) who perform French chamber music from La Belle Époque (The Beautiful Era) with all composers writing around the turn of the century in Paris, Cuban guitarist Ahmed Dickinson (14 March 2025) who presents thrilling works from award-winning composer Maria Camahort, and Turkish violinist Deniz Şensoy (21 May 2025) who explores the beauty of Bach alongside the violinistically challenging Cleopatra from Turkish composer Fazil Say.

During February half term, Chamberhouse Winds present Prokofiev’s delightful and evocative Peter and the Wolf (18 February 2025) in an afternoon concert for younger audiences, with associated pre-concert craft and drama workshops led by G Live’s Creative Learning team.

Celebrating classical music’s stars of the future, students from The Yehudi Menuhin School will perform a concert as part of the lunchtime programme (25 April 2025). Alumni of the school include Nicola Benedetti, Alina Ibragimova, Tasmin Little and Nigel Kennedy. The students will also perform a free foyer concert at G Live on Friday 17 May 2024 at 1.30pm, when general sales for the 2024/2025 open.

G Live is delighted to welcome, for a second year, The Cheryl King Trust as the Guildford International Season’s charity partner. The Cheryl King Trust aims to remove the financial barriers that prevent young people in Surrey learning a musical instrument. Providing bursaries for instrument and singing lessons, as well as grants to local music ensembles, G Live hopes to shine a spotlight on their work, and to inspire more young people across Surrey to experience the joy of making music.

Venue Director, Andy Locke, said:

“We are delighted to include more concerts - incorporating orchestral, choral and solo artists - in an expanded Guildford International Concert Season in 2024/2025. Celebrating this treasure trove of classical music, it feels only fitting that we, at G Live, shine a light on the work of The Cheryl King Trust alongside the Season, and their aim to make music lessons financially accessible to all young people in Surrey.”

The final concert of the 2023/2024 takes place on Friday, 17 May 2024, when Guildford-based Chloe Hanslip performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. The concert also includes The Moldau by Smetana, and Dvořák’s Symphony No.8.

G Live, one of 15 venues operated by Trafalgar Theatres (part of the Trafalgar Entertainment Group), gratefully acknowledges the continued support of Guildford Borough Council.