In the wake of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, the soprano Nazan Fikret decided to rally fellow performers and put together a concert to raise funds for those affected, and she has brought together a sensational line-up of both established and up-and-coming artists.
BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny presents a concert in two parts on 17 September at 6pm at Cadogan Hall. The first half will include solo songs by Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and Quilter, followed by the Super Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner, accompanying Ailish Tynan and Christine Rice in the ‘Evening Prayer’ from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, an extract from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde sung by Stuart Skelton and Lee Bisset, the Quartet from Rigoletto, and the full company singing the Sanctus from Fauré’s Requiem.
Part Two will be launched with a performance of ‘I’ll Sing’ by award-winning composer Rebecca Dale, and will progress via Mozart’sCosì fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro and Die Zauberflöte, to Puccini’s Tosca with Natalya Romaniw singing ‘Vissi d’arte’, and Keel Watson and Gweneth-Ann Rand performing ‘Bess, you is my woman now’ from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. The pick of today’s most promising young singers will perform Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music.
This is a one-off event and everyone involved has given their services for free. To ensure that the funds raised by the Grenfell Tower Benefit Concert reach those that are in most need, the concert organisers and Cadogan Hall, in consultation with London Emergencies Trust, have decided to distribute the funds equally between Rugby Portobello Trust (Charity No 11000143) and Grief Encounter (Charity No 1101277) which focus specifically on helping the affected families with rehabilitation and looking to the future.
Singers will include: sopranos Lee Bisset; Francesca Chiejina; Samantha Crawford; Nazan Fikret; Janis Kelly; Louise Kemény; Anna Patalong; Gweneth-Ann Rand; Natalya Romaniw; Kirsty Taylor-Stokes; Ailish Tynan; Jennifer Witton; Lauren Zolezzi; mezzo-sopranos Katie Grosset; Anna Huntley; Maria Jagusz; Héloïse Mas; Christine Rice; countertenor Jake Arditti; tenors Luis Gomes; Robert Lewis; Stuart Skelton; Jack Swanson; baritones Gary Griffiths; Martin Häßler; Benedict Nelson; Alan Opie; Joseph Padfield; Ricardo Panela and bass-baritone Keel Watson.
They will be accompanied by several pianists including: Eugene Asti; Dylan Perez; Michael Pugh; Linnhe Robertson and Susanna Stranders.
Conductors Edward Gardner, David Angus, Douglas Boyd, Richard Hetherington, Matthew Morgan and James Sherlock, among others, will lead the Super Orchestra composed of players from the leading London orchestras including the Philharmonia, Royal Opera House Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Further information can be found at: http://www.cadoganhall.com/event/grenfell-tower-benefit-concert-170917/