| ENGLISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – MALVERN RESIDENCY Wednesday 12 November 2025, 7.30pm Malvern Theatres Grange Road, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3HB English Symphony Orchestra: The Joker’s Wild – Mischief in Music Haydn: Symphony No. 60 (‘Il Distratto’) in C Weill: Cabaret Songs Schulhoff: Suite for Chamber Orchestra Milhaud: The Ox on the Roof English Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Woods, conductor April Fredrick, soprano https://malvern-theatres.co.uk/event/eso-the-jokers-wild-mischief-in-music/ Thursday 19 February 2026, 7:30pm Malvern Theatres Grange Road, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3HB Mozart: Overture to ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622 Hans Gál: Serenade for Strings, Op.46 (1937) Beethoven: Symphony no. 2 in D, Op.36 English Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Woods, conductor Alison Lambert, clarinet https://malvern-theatres.co.uk/event/eso-plays-mozart-and-beethoven/ Thursday 19 March 2026, 7:30pm Malvern Priory Church Street, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 2AY Dvorak: Czech Suite, in D, Op.39, B.93 Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, Op.33 Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73 English Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Woods, conductor Raphael Wallfisch, cello https://eso.co.uk/whats-on/ (tickets on sale shortly) |
 Zoë Beyers leading the English Symphony Orchestra (photo, Michael Whitefoot) |
| English Symphony Orchestra to bring Roaring Twenties to life in opening concert of 2025-26 Malvern Residency The renowned English Symphony Orchestra (ESO), under their principal conductor Kenneth Woods, is to make a highly anticipated return to Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire on Wednesday 12 November at 7:30pm with a programme celebrating the adventurous spirit and playful energy of the 1920s, as part of their Autumn-Winter Residency. LIVELY SPIRIT OF THE ROARING TWENTIES The evening will feature works by composers who captured the era’s lively spirit, including Erwin Schulhoff’s Suite for Chamber Orchestra, Darius Milhaud’s ‘The Ox on the Roof’ and Kurt Weill’s raucous cabaret songs, to be performed by the ESO’s first affiliate artist, soprano April Fredrick. The programme opens with the music of Joseph Haydn and a performance of his Symphony No. 60 entitled ‘The Absent-Minded Gentleman’, delighting in the composer’s celebrated wit and humour. Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the ESO, introduces the programme: “Erwin Schulhoff’s suave Suite for Chamber Orchestra takes listeners on a guided tour of 20s dance crazes, from the shimmy to the tango. Milhaud’s zany ballet score ‘The Ox on the Roof’ was inspired by the comedy of Charlie Chaplin and the dance music of Brazil, while Kurt Weill’s songs reflect life in and around the cabaret scene in all its humour and sensuality. The programme opens with Haydn’s Symphony No.60, ‘The Absent-Minded Gentleman’, quite possibly the funniest and most surreal symphony ever composed.” ESO’s FIRST AFFILIATE ARTIST – SOPRANO APRIL FREDRICK American-born soprano April Fredrick, who performed Samuel Barber’s ‘Knoxville 1915’ with the ESO in Malvern last year, has enjoyed a fruitful partnership with the Orchestra across both live performance and in recording, being praised by Bachtrack as ‘astonishing and luminous’. Raised in rural Wisconsin, Fredrick originally trained as a violinist before studying voice at the University of Northwestern – St Paul in Minnesota and later at the Royal Academy of Music. WORLD-CLASS ENGLISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DIRECTED BY KENNETH WOODS Hailed by Gramophone magazine as “a symphonic conductor of stature”, Kenneth Woods has built an acclaimed body of work with the ESO since his appointment in 2013. Founded in 1980, recognised as the International Orchestra of Elgar Country and supported by Arts Council England, the ESO is an ensemble which in recent years has become synonymous with artistic excellence, innovative and visionary programming, under Woods’ tenure. CLASSICAL AND ROMANTIC FAVOURITES, NEW DISCOVERIES AND GUEST ARTISTS Forthcoming concerts as part of the ESO’s Malvern Residency, present a programme of Classical favourites on Thursday 19 February at Malvern Theatres, to include Beethoven’s Symphony No.2 and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, performed by the ESO’s own principal clarinettist Alison Lambert. There is also a chance to hear the romantic string serenade by Hans Gál; a composer championed and recorded by Kenneth Woods following a prolonged period of neglect. At Malvern Priory on Thursday 19 March there is an evening of lyrical Romanticism to include Dvořák’s Czech Suite and Brahms’ Symphony No.2, with a welcome return of the internationally renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch who will feature in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Rococo’ Variations. How to book Concert tickets are priced between £26 and £36, including booking fee, with under-18s gaining admittance for just £5. Information and booking details are to be found on both the ESO and Malvern Theatres websites: www.eso.co.uk or www.malvern-theatres.co.uk |