Saffron Hall reveals Autumn season filled with classical, contemporary and jazz performances by world-class artists
11 September 2022 – 2 January 2023
Major soloists and conductors including Karina Canellakis, Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner, Jess Gillam, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Courtney Pine, Zoe Rahman and Anoushka Shankar
Return of the Hall’s Resident Orchestras – Britten Sinfonia and London Philharmonic Orchestra – in addition to Dunedin Consort, English Touring Opera, Hallé Orchestra, Tenebrae and The Sixteen
Launch of brand-new boundary-challenging Saffron Sessions and the return of Saffron Foyer informal nights
Saffron Hall today [6 May] announced its Autumn 2022 season featuring a diverse programme of classical, contemporary, folk and jazz performances by many of today’s leading artists. Alongside its main concert series, the Hall announces Saffron Sessions, a series of boundary-challenging performances, in addition to continuing its popular Saffron Foyer events. Throughout the season the Hall will continue to host a programme of engaging cultural events for its audience both in Saffron Walden and the wider region.
Angela Dixon, Chief Executive of Saffron Hall, said:
“Our 22/23 season represents the high quality and diversity that the communities in this region deserve. The integration of world-class performers into our schools and community programmes continues to be a matter of pride and we hope that all of our work will proceed without interruption. With artists and audiences eager to be back live there is much to look forward to.
As the pandemic recedes, we are advocating for culture to sit at the heart of local recovery strategies. Culture is a powerful tool that can unlock potential in a range of areas, from health and wellbeing and education to tourism and placemaking.”
Classical and contemporary
A wide array of leading soloists will perform at Saffron Hall in the Autumn including Isata Kanneh-Mason who makes her solo debut at the Hall in a programme centred around the theme of childhood with music by Fanny Mendelssohn, Claude Debussy and more [7 October]. After an important year in her career during which she received an MBE, Jess Gillam returns to the Hall with her ensemble to perform a selection of Christmas classics such as a medley from The Nutcracker [16 December]. Pianist Pavel Kolesnikov joins Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra for a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 [8 October] and later that month English Touring Operamake a welcome return with fully-staged performances of Handel’s Agrippina [28 October] and Tamerlano [29 October].
Multi-Grammy-nominated composer and sitar player Anoushka Shankar performs with the Hall’s Resident Orchestra Britten Sinfonia, Jules Buckley and handpan and drum player Manu Delago in a performance featuring works and arrangements by Roxanna Panufnik, Delago and Buckley as well as Shankar herself [16 October]. The Hall’s other Resident Orchestra – the London Philharmonic Orchestra – returns with their Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis and soloist Johan Dalene to perform Sibelius’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s mighty Eroica [23 October], before returning with their Principal Conductor Edward Gardner for Tippett’s grand oratorio, A Child of our Time [27 November].
Three leading vocal ensembles are due to perform at the Hall in the autumn, starting with Scotland’s Dunedin Consort who celebrate their 25th anniversary season with a performance of Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor [19 November]. Nigel Short and Tenebrae return to the Hall to bring a festive programme including Britten’s popular Ceremony of Carols in addition to Joanna Marsh’s In Winter’s House, a piece written for the group in 2019 [10 December]. Harry Christophers and The Sixteen continue the Christmas programme with a performance of Handel’s Messiah [18 December].
Other highlights of the Autumn season include a performance by French string quartet Quatuor Agate [30 October], a first public performance of A4 Brass, a new group comprising principal players from some of the UK’s top brass bands[6 November], and the Hall debut of Cory Band from the Welsh Valleys [3 December], fresh from their recent victory at the European Brass Band Championships.
Saffron Sessions and Saffron Foyer
This autumn the Hall launches Saffron Sessions, a new programme of creative boundary-challenging performances. The series will include performances by American pianist and composer Chad Lawson, Manchester Collective and Pekka Kuusisto, amongst others. The Hall’s informal Saffron Foyer nights return in September with jazz and folk artists including Katriona Taylor, Django’s Tiger and the Dan Forshaw Quartet. More details of Saffron Sessions and Saffron Foyer line-up will be revealed in due course.
Jazz
Audiences will have the opportunity to revisit the jazz music of the 1920s and 1930s with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra [15 October] before celebrating the big band era of the 1940s with the Glenn Miller Orchestra [11 December]. Other jazz highlights include Courtney Pine performing with jazz pianist Zoe Rahman as part of his Spirituality Tour [25 November]. South African male vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo take to the stage with jazz guitarist and singer Muntu Valdo as part of their much-anticipated return to the UK [22 October].
Talk
Bringing a totally different kind of performance to the Hall, restaurant critic and MasterChef judge Jay Rayner explores our most beloved food in a new show about our fascination behind last meals [20 October].
Local talent
Nurturing local talent as ever, the Autumn season opens with Saffron Opera Group performing Wagner’s Tannhäuser [11 September] with acclaimed tenor Peter Auty conducted by Michael Thorne. This dynamic programming of large-scale work reflects Saffron Hall’s ambition as a venue, something which is emphasised by Saffron Walden Choral Society performing Haydn’s Creation with Chameleon Arts Orchestra [12 November]. The Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra return with violinist Alex Redington for a programme including Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.12 commemorating the 1917 revolution [4 December].
Education
Saffron Hall continues breaking new ground in their education initiatives. This includes launching the second iteration of Saffron Sounds this autumn. The Saffron Sounds online resource hub, including filmed performances and demonstrations from the Jess Gillam ensemble, will be available to all primary schools, and will be the starting point for a programme of workshops and live performances offered to schools across Essex and beyond. Artists from across the programme, including A4 Brass, will visit local primary schools for performances. This autumn will also see the introduction of ‘A morning with…’ events for secondary schools, featuring performances, masterclasses and Q&A’s from artists including Isata Kanneh-Mason. And Saffron Hall Trust continues to deliver Together in Sound – its pioneering music therapy programme for those living with dementia and their carers in Saffron Walden. Together in Sound is delivered in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research at Anglia Ruskin University, and a pilot programme is now also underway in Braintree in partnership with Braintree District Museum. Further events and projects as part of the Hall’s learning series will be announced in due course.
For more information and to book tickets please visit the Saffron Hall website.
About Saffron Hall Trust
Saffron Hall is a 740-seat concert hall that opened in 2013 and is a uniquely sustainable model of arts and community outreach. Cited in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School, a comprehensive school in North Essex, Saffron Hall’s world class programme runs alongside an extensive Schools and Community programme. Since opening Saffron Hall has engaged with over 40,000 participants and sold over 205,000 tickets, with 21% of audiences travelling 30 miles or more. 10% of tickets sold were to under 18s. Saffron Hall is a registered charity and receives no regular funding from the local authority or Arts Council England. It is solely reliant on donations from individuals, trusts and foundations and ticket sales.
Listings
Sunday 11 September, 2.30pm
Saffron Opera Group: Tannhäuser
Saffron Opera Group Orchestra & Chorus
Michael Thorne, conductor
Peter Auty, Tannhäuser
Samantha Crawford, Elizabeth
Elaine McKrill, Venus
Richard Burkhard, Wolfram
Richard Wiegold, Landgraf
Paul Carey Jones, Biterolf
Brian Smith Walters, Walther
Ben Thapa, Heinrich
Pauls Putnins, Reinmar
Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser
Friday 16 September, 8pm
Foyer Jazz: Katriona Taylor
Friday 23 September, 8pm
Foyer Folk
Sunday 25 September, 3pm
Spooky Stories: Once Upon a Tune
James Mayhew & Antonio Reche-Martinez, narration & illustration
Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra
Richard Hull, conductor
Programme to include:
Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre
Jean Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
Richard Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman
Friday 7 October, 7.30pm
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Programme to include:
Fanny Mendelssohn: Easter Sonata
Claude Debussy: Children’s Corner L. 113
Clara Schumann: Scherzo No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14
Frédéric Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Saturday 8 October, 4pm
Hallé Orchestra
Mark Elder, conductor
Pavel Kolesnikov, piano
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Bedřich Smetana: Má Vlast: Vltava
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52
Friday 14 October, 8pm
Foyer Jazz: Django’s Tiger
Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm
Pasadena Roof Orchestra
Sunday 16 October, 7pm
Britten Sinfonia & Anoushka Shankar with Manu Delago
Anoushka Shankar, sitar
Manu Delago, handpan/drums
Jules Buckley, conductor
Programme to include:
Roxanna Panufnik: Indian Summer from Four World Seasons
Manu Delago: A selection of works
Anoushka Shankar: A selection of works
Thursday 20 October, 7.30pm
My Last Supper: One Meal a lifetime in the making with Jay Rayner
Friday 21 October, 8pm
Foyer Folk
Saturday 22 October, 7.30pm
Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Muntu Valdo
Sunday 23 October, 7pm
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor
Johan Dalene, violin
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”
Friday 28 October, 7pm
Agrippina
English Touring Opera
The Old Street Band
George Frideric Handel: Agrippina
Saturday 29 October, 7pm
Tamerlano
English Touring Opera
The Old Street Band
George Frideric Handel: Tamerlano
Sunday 30 October, 4pm
Young Artist Coffee Concert: Quatuor Agate
Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 32 No. 5
Johannes Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67
Sunday 6 November, 4pm
Young Artist Coffee Concert: A4 Brass
Saturday 12 November, 7.30pm
Haydn: The Creation
Saffron Walden Choral Society
Chameleon Arts Orchestra
Quintin Beer,conductor
Rebecca Bottone, soprano
Bradley Smith, tenor
Morgan Pearse, baritone
Joseph Haydn: The Creation
Saturday 19 November, 7.30pm
Dunedin Consort: Mozart Mass in C Minor
Dunedin Consort
Anna Dennis, soprano
Lucy Crowe, soprano
Benjamin Hulett, tenor
Robert Davies, bass
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 80 in D minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Great Mass in C minor
Friday 25 November, 7.30pm
Spirituality Tour
Courtney Pine, bass clarinet
Zoe Rahman, piano
Guest string quartet
Sunday 27 November, 3pm
A Child of Our Time
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor
Michael Tippett: A Child of Our Time
Friday 2 December, 8pm
Foyer Jazz: Dan Forshaw Quartet
Saturday 3 December, 7.30pm
Cory Band
Sunday 4 December, 3pm
Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra
Richard Hull, conductor
Alex Redington, violin
Ralph Vaughan Williams: In the Fen Country
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Violin Concerto
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12
Saturday 10 December, 7.30pm
Tenebrae at Christmas
Nigel Short, conductor
Programme to include:
Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
Gustav Holst: In the Bleak Midwinter
Joanna Marsh: In Winter’s House
Herbert Howells: A Spotless Rose
Sunday 11 December, 4pm
Glenn Miller Orchestra
Ray McVay, musical director
Friday 16 December, 7.30pm
Jess Gillam Ensemble at Christmas
Jess Gillam Ensemble
Programme to include:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Medley
John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Happy Xmas (War is Over)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Auld Lang Syne
Sunday 18 December, 4.30pm
Handel’s Messiah
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers, conductor
George Frideric Handel: Messiah
Thursday 22 – Thursday 29 December
Robin Hood
The popular pantomime returns to Saffron Hall brimming with comedy, dance and spectacular sets.
Monday 2 January, 4pm
A New Year’s Celebration
BBC Concert Orchestra
Emma Johnson, clarinet
Programme to include:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto K.622