Join us on Saturday 21 October 1.30-3.30pm at Christ Church Gipsy Hill, 1 Highland Road SE19 1DP for an celebratory afternoon consisting of:

• Afternoon tea
• Art activities and exhibition
• Live music including the London Mozart Players

It’s FREE – everyone’s welcome!
What is Compassionate Neighbours? It’s a growing network of trained volunteers offering their time, companionship and support to people around them living with a chronic or terminal illness or experiencing loneliness or social isolation. For more information contact Steph Turner, Community Participation Lead, at CN@stchristophers.org.uk or 07867 556472.

Join us in the evening as well for our launch concert at St John’s in association with St Christopher’s Hospice and Compassionate Neighbours.

We’re absolutely delighted to be returning to St John’s Smith Square alongside Howard Shelley for a new 5 concert lunchtime series, Piano Explored. For 17/18, audiences will uncover the anguish of Shostakovich, reminisce on a classic love story that spiralled Schumann to global success, delve into the grandeur of Mendelssohn, whisk through Saint-Saens’ rollercoaster-esque creative process and dive into the explosive mind of Grieg.

Described by International Piano as “The best lunch-break you’ve ever had,” this popular series will see a host of symphonic performances, accompanied as ever by Howard’s humorous and intriguing introductions, all within a lunchtime concert in the beautiful surroundings of St John’s Smith Square.

Designed for everyone from city workers and resident Londoners to holiday-makers day-trippers, London Mozart Players’ Piano Explored is the perfect addition to your lunch-time.

TICKETS NOW ON SALE! Click on the dates below to book your tickets.

Tickets: £15 (students £5)

Wednesday 4^th October 2017 – 1.05pm
GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor Op.16

Wednesday 1^st November 2017 – 1.05pm
SCHUMANN Piano Concerto A minor Op.54

Wednesday 6^th December 2017 – 1.05pm
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No.2 in F, Op.102

Wednesday 7^th February 2018 – 1.05pm
MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.25

Wednesday 7^th March 2018 – 1.05pm
SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, Op.22

Box Office: 020 7222 1061 | St John’s Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HA
Booking fees: £2.75 telephone / £1.75 online

In preparation for our special family concert performance of Roald Dahl’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ on Sunday 18 June for the Crystal Palace Overground Festival, I thought I’d put together this little list of facts about Roald Dahl that you might not know!

Along with my trusty young ambassador Sarah Posner – and a little help from www.roalddahl.com! – we came up with this smashing list unveiling the fascinating man behind some of the world’s most loved children’s books.

At a first glance it would seem that Roald Dahl was just a big kid at heart, as this is prevalent throughout his writing. What also permeates his work is a perpetual sense of wonder, adventure, and at times peril, and this can only be drawn from his eventful and exciting life!

Did you know…?

1. Roald Dahl was an RAF fighter pilot in World War II – he earned himself the nickname ‘Lofty’, due to his height (he was well over 6 ft, which was unusual for a pilot)

2. His lexical talents also extended to writing screenplays – such features include ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and the James Bond classic, ‘You Only Live Twice’

3. He wrote all his children’s stories in a small hut in the bottom of his garden – everyone needs a space for their imagination to run wild!

4. Roald Dahl was a chocolate taster at school – Dahl attended Repton boarding school, where this prominent memory inspired the tale of Charlie Bucket and Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory

5. Roald Dahl was a medical innovator – he contributed significantly to the invention of the modern ventricular catheter

6. He published a cookbook with his second wife Liccy (Felicity) – not limited to fictional tales, Dahl and his wife also put together a book of beloved recipes gathered across their years together

7. He invented more than 250 words and character names – Such treasures include scrumdiddlyumptious and frizzlecrump, and there is even an Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary! Take that GCSE English!

8. Dahl often based his characters on people he knew himself – For example, the grandma in The Witches was based on his mother, Sofie. I’d hate to think who the Twits were based on…

9. The Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery was opened at the Buckinghamshire County Museum in 1996 – full of hands on experiences and activities, there is much to discover here

10. Roald Dahl was a spy! – During WWII he passed intelligence to MI6 from Washington

Many who are familiar with Dahl’s literary works will note his use of dark humour and regular plotlines of children overcoming great adversaries, often at the hands of adults. In his championing of youth, the power of imagination and creativity, his stories have endured for decades and will continue to delight parents and children alike for many generations to come.

LMP are delighted to be part of this legacy, through Paul Patterson’s musical account of Roald Dahl’s retelling of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Told with wit and the unpatronizing humour characteristic of its author, and the forces of a wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon & horn), piano and narrator, this lively and tuneful rendition of the fairy tale classic will appeal to all the family.

By Jenny Brady

– – – – –

Jenny Brady is the Creative Learning & Participation Manager at London Mozart Players.

You can buy tickets for LMP’s performance of Little Red Riding Hood via this link.

London Mozart Players are delighted  to announce the launch of their new tour series #LMPOnTheMove, running May-July 2017.

Featuring 5 specially-curated musical experiences, the ensemble aims to take orchestral-music making to new audiences across the South London community, and in the process reach people of all ages, backgrounds and musical interests. The series includes some of the biggest collaborators across chart, electronic and classical music, including multi-platinum selling recording artist & DJ Shift K3y and BBC Young Musician 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

o The orchestra kicks off their tour with Placebo & Kanye West collaborator FIONA BRICE at Matthews Yard on Friday 19 May, performing the world premiere of her new string work ‘Relationships’, as well as music from Shostakovich & Piazzolla

o The following day (Saturday 20 May) sees a collaboration with Lost Format Society – Croydon’s only rooftop cinema and bar experience – to perform Charlie Chaplin’s Academy-Award® nominated score for silent comedy The Gold Rush, live to picture

o Half-term brings an opportunity to enjoy a performance of Paul Patterson’s arrangement of Roald Dahl’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ with your family, narrated by Rebecca Kenny and performed at Croydon’s Central Children’s Library. There will be an arts and crafts workshop running an hour before each performance, which will take place at 10:45am and 2:45pm

o BBC Young Musician 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto with the orchestra in the highlight of a weekend takeover for Crystal Palace Overground Festival at our home at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood

Their new, dynamic tour series sees the orchestra adopt an exciting mixed-funding model which includes funding from Arts Council England – our first award from the national body in four years – and Croydon Council, as well as a host of financial and in-kind support from local companies. Ever conscious of the need for a broad range of income streams, the ensemble has developed relationships with many of the established businesses in the area including developer Regent Land – a leading member of Develop Croydon, a CIC forum promoting the regeneration of the area – and 70 year old electronics manufacturer Centronic employ over 120 people across Croydon.

The orchestra’s reputation for adventurous, ambitious programming is alive and kicking with five distinctive programmes of music. Genre-crossing composer and violinist Fiona Brice DJs the tour’s opening night in a vibrant programme spanning Shostakovich, Piazzolla and her new experimental orchestral work ‘Relationships’. The following night the ensemble is joined by conductor Ben Palmer, as they take to Centrale Shopping Centre’s rooftop car park to perform Charlie Chaplin’s Academy Award®-nominated score for his silent comedy The Gold Rush; the sunset screening is one of the Lost Format Society’s highlights of their annual rooftop cinema and bar experience.

We have definitely made sure there’s something for all age groups; June kicks off with two performances of Paul Patterson’s musical arrangement of Roald Dahl’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ which makes for a must-see for families during the half term; the orchestra’s partnership with Carillion and Croydon’s Central Library includes a pre-performance arts and crafts workshop where the children can make their own masks for the story, whilst the set design has been facilitated by the local St. Nicholas’ School for special education needs.

The same month, the orchestra presents a musical takeover at their home in Upper Norwood as part of the 2017 Crystal Palace Overground Festival, including a special one-off performance by BBC Young Musician 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who will play Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C, with London Mozart Players also playing side by side with musicians from the local Music Education Hub Croydon Music & Arts in a performance of Shostakovich’s ‘Chamber Symphony’.

The orchestra’s tour culminates with a collaboration with multi-platinum selling recording artist Shift K3y, who headlines a fusion night of electronic, indie and classical music at Croydon’s new 2,000 capacity Box Park. The producer will play brand new material alongside the ensemble, which will also perform with resident producer GRADES and emerging South London talent George Cosby.

Julia Desbruslais, Executive Director of the orchestra, said:

“London Mozart Players are thrilled to be delivering our new exciting series #LMPOnTheMove. We hope these collaborative performances in exciting, diverse venues will appeal to audiences of all ages and experiences, taking place right on the doorsteps of residents, within our home of the Borough of Croydon. These flagship events will go towards putting Croydon on the map artistically as a creative and innovative hub of musical and artistic excellence.”

Paula Murray, Croydon Council’s Cultural Director, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting this excellent new series by London Mozart Players, taking classical music to audiences and venues across the borough. With Fairfield Halls closed for its refurbishment, it’s vital that we continue to support fantastic cultural initiatives like this one, as well as developing unforgettable collaborations with world-class musical talent from other genres. On the Move both physically and artistically!”

#LMPOnTheMove runs May – July, starting at Matthews Yard on 19th May with Fiona Brice. Tickets are available on Eventbrite now here.