Saved events

Press room

Barbican announces Tigran Hamasyan (14 July) and Sofiane Pamart (17 July) dates

Tigran Hamasyan wearing a yellow t shirt and black blazer

JUST ANNOUNCED

 

Tigran Hamasyan

Thu 14 Jul 2022, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £20 – 30 plus booking fee

Pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan returns to the Barbican this summer alongside his trio also featuring bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Justin Brown. They will bring material from Hamasyan’s latest album StandArt (out on Nonesuch, 29 April 2022) – his first album of American standards. Produced by the artist himself, the album includes songs from the 1920s through to the 1950s by Richard Rodgers, Charlie Parker, Jerome Kern, and others. 

One of the most remarkable and distinctive artists of his generation, Tigran Hamasyan’s potent jazz improvisation fuses with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. He began playing piano at the age of three and released his debut album, World Passion, in 2005 at the age of seventeen, and StandArt will be his eleventh studio album to date. He has received numerous awards and critical praise (including from Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau) and has built a dedicated international following.

Tigran Hamasyan returns to the Barbican’s music programme following his appearance with trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær in June 2018.

Produced by the Barbican
On sale to Barbican patrons and members on Wed 6 Apr 2022.

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Sofiane Pamart

Sun 17 Jul 2022, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £30 – 35 plus booking fee

French pianist and songwriter, Sofiane Pamart makes his Barbican debut this July.

A Gold medal winner of the Lille National Conservatory and one of the most streamed classical music artists in 2021, Sofiane Pamart is also renowned as a go-to pianist in the French rap scene and has collaborated with artists including Koba LaD, Vald, Maes, Sneazzy, Hugo TSR, Scylla, Lord Esperanza, Frenetik and Dinos.

His filmic music is both dark and poetic, embodying an emotional accuracy that reaches a wide audience. He tours internationally and performs in settings as diverse as the Boros Bunker in Berlin and under the northern lights of Lapland.

His collaborations and output in rap music won him gold and platinum status and he released his first album PLANET GOLD in 2020 to critical acclaim.

Produced by the Barbican
On sale to Barbican patrons and members on Wed 6 Apr 2022.

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Second Screening and Roller Disco Announced

 

FIBS: Anna Meredith & London Contemporary Orchestra

Conducted by Robert Ames

+ Carmel Smickersgill

+ Tanya Auclair

Sat 30 Apr 2022, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm
Tickets £20 – 25 plus booking fee
Composer, producer and performer of both acoustic and electronic music, Anna Meredith returns to the Barbican’s music programme this spring, presenting a special live orchestral performance of her Mercury Prize-shortlisted album FIBS (Moshi Moshi, 2019). Anna Meredith (electronics, keyboards, percussion, clarinet, vocals) will be joined on stage by her band: Jack Ross (guitar, vocals), Sam Wilson (drums, vocals), Tom Kelly (tuba, vocals) and Maddie Cutter (cello, vocals), alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames. 
Bringing together classical, electronic and popular music, the material was arranged for band and orchestra by Ben Corrigan and Robert Ames.

This evening’s support comes from Manchester-based composer and performer Carmel Smickersgill – a nominee for Apple Music’s Rising Star Ivor Novello Award, she is currently under the mentorship of Anna Meredith; and British-Rwandan music and sound artist Tanya Auclair, whose work explores rhythm, voice and electronica, treating everyday life like new mythologies and taking an embodied approach to exploring ideas with sound.

Pre- and post-concert roller disco sessions in the Barbican foyer with DJ Max Tundra and music curated by Anna Meredith will run from 6.30pm until the concert starts, then after the show until midnight. Free for ticket holders, but attendees must sign up for a slot when they arrive.

Produced by the Barbican in association with Parallel Lines
Find out more

 

Eighth Grade: Live Soundtrack (15)

Sun 1 May 2022, Barbican Cinema 1, 3pm + 5pm

Tickets £13.50 plus booking fee

These special screenings of Bo Burnham’s alternative teen comedy-drama Eighth Grade feature composer Anna Meredith’s film score, performed live here for the first time. Eighth Grade is both Burnham’s debut feature-length film and Anna Meredith's debut film score, which won the Sundance Audience Award at its premiere at Sundance 2018.  

Produced by the Barbican in association with Parallel Lines
Find out more

 

Recently Announced

 

Dave Longstreth & s t a r g a z e: Song Of The Earth

Dirty Projectors: Earth Crisis

Sat 8 Oct 2022, Barbican Hall, 8pm

Tickets £20 – 25 plus booking fee

Dave Longstreth guitar, vocals

Felicia Douglass vocals

s t a r g a z e

André de Ridder conductor

Barbican audiences will be able to sample an exciting and relevant new project and explore the multifaceted music of Dave Longstreth – composer and frontman of American indie rock band Dirty Projectors – as he performs his new piece Song of the Earth with contemporary-classical ensemble s t a r g a z e and Dirty Projectors vocalist Felicia Douglass.

Longstreth and s t a r g a z e leader André de Ridder may have met at a festival back in 2013, but their promise to ‘do something new’ stuck, and in 2021 they finally premiered their collaborative work. The resulting piece, Song of the Earth is inspired by Gustav Mahler’s piece of the same name, reframing it 111 years later, as our relationship to the earth has changed so dramatically.

This evening’s concert will also feature a performance of Dirty Projectors’ Earth Crisis.

Founded in New York in 2002 by Longstreth, Dirty Projectors have become known as a group pushing indie-rock; from radio-friendly bops to delicate, introspective songs with rich instrumentation, they’ve won over both mainstream indie fans and the niche-minded music fan alike. In 2018 Felicia Douglass became a key member and collaborator, adding her rich, characterful vocals to their sound.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Ravi Coltrane: Cosmic Music

Tue 11 Oct 2022, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £20 – 30 plus booking fee

Critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader and composer Ravi Coltrane brings his Cosmic Music project to the Barbican this autumn. A contemporary exploration into the music of his parents, saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane will be joined on stage by his quartet, featuring Gadi Lehavi (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass), and Elé Howell (drums).

In the course of a twenty plus year career, Ravi Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, and recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others.

Additional credits include performances as well as recordings with Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Geri Allen, Joanne Brackeem, The Blue Note 7, among others. Born in Long Island, the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, Ravi was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. He was raised in Los Angeles where his family moved after his father’s death in 1967. His mother, Alice Coltrane, was a significant influence on Ravi and it was he who encouraged Alice to return to performance and the recording studio after a long absence. Subsequently, Ravi produced and played on Alice Coltrane’s powerful, ‘Translinear Light’, which was released in 2004.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Dabar Festival 2022

Thu 13 – Sun 16 October 2022, Barbican Centre

Tickets £10 – £100 plus booking fee

Darbar Festival makes a long-awaited return to live performances in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in its 17th year, this year’s programme at the Barbican features a magical mix of emerging raw young talent from India and the UK, master performers making their UK debuts and performances featuring world class legends, maestros and maestras. Darbar Festival 2022 will focus on wellbeing with yoga and breathwork sessions complementing the concert programme alongside an Indian music appreciation course.

Artists as part of the line-up include: Shubha Mudgal, Purbayan Chatterjee, Rakesh Chaurasia, Uday Bhawalkar, Bharathi Prathap, Wahane Sisters Duo and Rajrupa Chowdhury. 

Darbar was set up in memory of Gurmit Singh Ji Virdee, an inspirational tabla player and teacher, the Festival continues to be the perfect place to discover an enchanting world of melody and rhythm.

Presented by Darbar in partnership with the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more here and here.

 

Youssou N’Dour

Thu 3 Nov 2022, Barbican Hall, 8pm

Tickets £30 – 45 plus booking fee

Senegalese music icon, singer-songwriter Youssou N’Dour makes a long-awaited return to the Barbican this November, presenting new material from his 2021 album Mbalax alongside his band Super Étoile de Dakar.

Throughout his decades-long career, Youssou N’Dour’s roots in Senegalese traditional music and griot storytelling have remained the hallmark of his artistic personality. A daring innovator and staunch protector of the unique “Dakar overgroove,” N’Dour and his high-energy Super Étoile manage to fashion a sound that is both characteristically Senegalese and outward-looking, a contagiously exciting synthesis of musical languages.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Julia Holter: The Passion of Joan Arc

dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer. France 1928, 88 mins. Cert PG.

Fri 25 Nov 2022, Barbican Hall, 8pm

Tickets £17.50 – 25 plus booking fee

In this special event in November 2022, the emotionally charged sound world of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, composer and producer Julia Holter meets the intensely expressionistic universe of a landmark of early cinema – director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Commissioned by Opera North Projects, and originally planned for summer 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, Holter can finally present her new soundtrack for this silent masterpiece, scored for and performed with the 36-strong Chorus of Opera North, plus her own band – Sarah Belle Reid, Corey Fogel and Tashi Wada.

Over the course of her five studio albums, Julia Holter has pushed into new territories, experimenting with vocals, song-writing and musical structure. The commission to score Dreyer’s visionary film about the martyrdom of the French saint, gave her an opportunity to dig deeper into her fascination with the music and art of the medieval era.

While lockdowns have frustrated the project’s schedule, the last two years have brought even more acclaim for Holter as a soundtrack composer, with the film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, featuring her original score, taking awards at Sundance and Berlin International Film Festival.

From its very first screening, various soundtracks have been created for Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc, with music by composers as diverse as Nick Cave and J S Bach. On its release in 1928, the film caused a minor scandal. Condemned unseen in France, vilified by Catholic authorities and also banned in England for its depiction of English soldiers, it is now recognised as a cinematic masterpiece, startlingly ahead of its time. Based on the actual transcription of the trial, its claustrophobic close-ups and striking performance by Renée Maria Falconetti give an evocative account of the French heroine’s final moments.
Julia Holter’s new score for Joan of Arc will receive its world premiere at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival on 23 November 2022.

Commissioned and produced by Opera North Projects. Co-produced by the Barbican, the Brudenell Social Club and hcmf.

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Sō Percussion with Caroline Shaw

Sun 4 Dec 2022, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £15 – 22.50 plus booking fee

Brooklyn-based contemporary ensemble Sō Percussion returns to the Barbican’s music programme with this special date at Milton Court Concert Hall in December. They will open the evening with Angelica Negron’s Gone, played on custom-made Bricolo robotic instruments. This will be followed by a performance of Julia Wolfe’s Forbidden Love.  

In the second half of this evening’s performance, award-winning composer Caroline Shaw joins the group for selections from her two 2021 albums – both written in collaboration with Sō Percussion and both drawing on Shaw’s melting pot of inspirations: rhythm, nature, literary quotes and hymns. Narrow Sea moves with the ebbs and flows of water, creating a timeless sense of movement. Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part sparkles with a heavenly beauty.

Sō Percussion is an American four-piece ensemble with international recognition for their original compositions, percussion performances and education projects. They last appeared at the Barbican in autumn 2017, presenting an audio-visual exploration of the social history of British coal mining, From Out a Darker Sea. They also previously performed here as part of Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly’s marathon weekends.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

Seven Septets

Tue 6 Dec 2022, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £15 – 25 plus booking fee
This special concert date at Milton Court Concert Hall as part of the Barbican’s music programme sees seven unique musical voices in seven specially-created new works. Classical, Jazz and experimental improvisation fuse in a showcase of cutting-edge music from some of today’s most exciting composer-performers on the UK’s music scene. All multi-instrumentalists in their own rights, each takes a turn to lead with a musical concept of their own, while the remainder of the group react to illuminate these ideas with their own semi-improvised accompaniment.

This evening’s line-up includes Jas Kayser, a drummer for major pop artists; multidisciplinary percussionist and artist Angela Wai Nok Hui; ‘boundary-blurring composer and improviser’ (Guardian) Fred Thomas; BBC Jazz Award winner Kit Downes; Héloïse Werner – co-director of 2021 RPS Young Artist Award winners The Hermes Experiment; cellist, vocalist and composer Laura Moody, and composer, cellist and record label founder Colin Alexander.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022
Find out more

 

The Hermes Experiment & Shiva Feshareki

Thu 26 Jan 2023, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm

Tickets £15 – 35 plus booking fee

Winners of the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award 2021, vibrant contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment collaborate with composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki for this Milton Court Concert Hall date as part of the Barbican’s music programme in January 2023. 

This concert is dedicated to the memory of artist and composer Mira Calix, with the programme including Oliver Leith’s Uh huh, Yeah, Stevie Wishart’s Eurostar – a journey between cities in sound, Mira Calix’s DMe, Jethro Cooke & The Hermes Experiment’s Metropolis and the premiere performance of a new Barbican co-commissioned work by Shiva Feshareki.

The Hermes Experiment is made up of harp, clarinet, voice and double bass. Capitalising on their deliberately idiosyncratic combination of instruments, the ensemble regularly commissions new works, as well as creating their own innovative arrangements and venturing into live free improvisation. The ensemble has commissioned over 60 composers at various stages of their careers. They have released two albums, HERE WE ARE and SONG, both on Delphian Records to critical acclaim.

Produced by the Barbican

On general sale on Fri 8 Apr 2022

Find out more

 

Coming up soon

Contacts

Annikaisa Vainio-Miles, Senior Communications Manager : +44 (0)20 7382 7090, [email protected]

Sabine Kindel, Communications Manager: +44 (0)20 7382 6199, [email protected]

Simone Gibbs, Communications Assistant: [email protected]

Full Press Release PDF 257.88 kb