Kings Place

Kings Place is a hub for music, art, dialogue and food in London's Kings Cross. James Kinnaird, Senior Marketing Manager at Kings Place, presents an hour of Kings Place adjacent music and discussion, including an interview with Simon Broughton, Songlines founding editor, who picks out songs from artists performing at this year's Songlines Encounters Festival. Charlotte Cole also joins to discuss her work as Head of Development at Kings Place. Recorded live from Voices Radio in Coal Drops Yard on Tue 4 March. www.voicesradio.co.uk/

Platoon Presents at Kings Place is a series of imaginative live performances, showcasing the Platoon roster through contemporary, classical and spoken word genres. Sam McShane, Artistic Director at Kings Place, here discusses the series as part of the January edition of Kings Place's monthly radio show on Voices Radio. Find out more & book tickets here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/platoon-presents-at-kings-place/

Kings Place is a hub for music, art, dialogue and food in London's Kings Cross. James Kinnaird, Senior Marketing Manager at Kings Place, here presents an hour of music from artists performing at the venue soon, recorded live from Voices Radio in Coal Drops Yard on Tue 4 February. https://www.voicesradio.co.uk/ Tracklist & Kings Place performance dates: Solaris - Penguin Cafe (Arthur Jeffes - Sat 22 Mar) Un Voltigeur - The Rheingans Sisters (Sat 10 May) Unravelling – The Breath (Thu 20 Feb) Bridge – Misha Mullov-Abaddo (Sat 22 Feb) He – Hayden Thorpe (Fri 7 Feb) Missing You - Brigid Mae Power (Thu 20 Feb) Ocean – Asa (Fri 4 Jul) The Dubbing Artist – Tom Hickox (Fri 9 May) Black Dog and Sheep Crook – Sam Lee (Sat 15 Mar) Fog Winter Balsam Jade - Half Waif (Fri 14 Feb) Coriolis - Penguin Cafe (Arthur Jeffes - Sat 22 Mar) Subsonic Glow - Misha Mullov-Abaddo (Sat 22 Feb)

Beatrice Dillon Promo Clip by Kings Place

Paul Cassidy, violist of the Brodsky Quartet, reads from his remarkable memoir, Get Beethoven, which traces his rise from a deprived area of Belfast to membership of an internationally-renowned quartet. Here he recalls his first experience of a youth orchestra in Omagh. https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/autobiography/get-beethoven/ paulcassidy.org

Dryburn Moor is a treeless Northumbrian landscape and the gathering songs are mostly delivered from the wing. Curlews describe low arcs announcing their names whilst lapwing and redshank waver and warble. The chorus peaks before sunrise as skylarks, Shakespeare’s ‘ploughmen’s clock’, rise up and disappear into the air as silver pinpoints of song.’ Listen to our Artist-in-Residence Chris Watson‘s latest podcast for Nature Unwrapped. Find out more: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/digital/features/dances-in-the-dark-sound-installation-by-chris-watson/

Denied access to the wildernesses where he usually records, our Artist in residence Chris Watson has rediscovered the joy of a dawn chorus in his own back garden. Hanging his microphone in an old apple tree, he catches a chorus of spectacular solos, by blackbird, dunnock, bluetit and wren.

In a new podcast for Nature Unwrapped, composer and sound recordist Chris Watson follows the overgrown railway path between Aldeburgh and Saxmundham, a favourite haunt of composer Benjamin Britten, recording an array of elemental, animal and bird sounds, including the outpouring of a nightingale. The Old Railway Path was originally conceived as an installation in Hall One. In response to the current situation Chris Watson has created a narrated podcast for the Kings Place audience.

Estonian kannel zither player Mari Kalkun chats to Songlines Editor-in-Chief Simon Broughton about her instrument and the importance of singing in her native language. She performs as part of an exciting double bill at Songlines Encounters Festival 2019. Thu 30 May, 8pm http://bit.ly/MariKalkun

Noh Reimagined (29 & 30 Jun), an exciting two-day festival celebrating the ancient art of Japanese Noh theatre, returns to Kings Place with performances, talks, workshops and installations. In this podcast, we speak to composer and co-founder of Clod Ensemble, Paul Clark, about their new piece 'Snow', which is inspired by the restless spirits in Noh theatre. Sat 30 Jun kingsplace.co.uk/noh

Celebrated sarodist Soumik Datta returns to Kings Place in June as part of Songlines Encounters Festival to explore the seasons and time-cycles of North Indian music. Songlines magazine Editor-in-Chief Simon Broughton interviews Soumik about the seasons and time-cycles of North Indian music, ahead of his upcoming performance on Sun 3 Jun. 31 May - 6 Jun 2018 bit.ly/2mC4sGJ

2018 sees Mercury-nominated Dinosaur back in action with some immensely colourful, new music – full of imagination and surprise. We interviewed BBC New Generation Artist 2015-17 trumpeter Laura Jurd about Dinosaur's highly anticipated second album Wonder Trail (to be released May 2018), the experience of playing live, boundaries in music and her approach to composition.  Thu 3 May kingsplace.co.uk/dinosaur

Martin Feinstein’s acclaimed Bach Weekend returns to Kings Place as part of Time Unwrapped – the 10th edition of our award-winning Unwrapped series. In the first half, we spoke with festival director Martin Feinstein about this year’s theme: Time Changes. In the second half, actor Geoffrey McGivern joined us to discuss his involvement in Bach: The Time Traveller, a dramatic recreation of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, on 13 April. 13–15 Apr kingsplace.co.uk/bach

This is the eighth year of Songlines Encounters Festival and the most ambitious yet. It does what it has always done – bring high-quality artists from around the world championed by Songlines magazine to play music in the superb environment of Kings Place. Songlines Editor-in-Chief Simon Broughton interviews Tuuletar, a vocal folk-hop quartet, who are performing on Fri 1 Jun. 31 May - 6 Jun 2018 http://bit.ly/2mC4sGJ

Cryptic’s Sonica Festival, sonic art for the visually minded, returns to Kings Place on a ‘unique and fascinating journey into uncharted territory’ (The Telegraph), with a weekend of genre-defying live performance and installations including 176 live snails making music for Slow Pixel, a sensorial experiment in celebration of Time Unwrapped from French visual artists Elizabeth Saint-Jalmes and Cyril Leclerc. 20–21 Apr kingsplace.co.uk/sonica

In March, we present Time & Tradition, a brand-new weekend series of concerts, storytelling and talks exploring the concept of time through traditional and contemporary folk music and ritual and seasonal customs. Highlights include Martin & Eliza Carthy, Peggy Seeger, Roy Bailey, Grace Petrie and Ewan McLennan We chat to Alan Bearman Music, artistic associate of Kings Place, to gain an insight into the aims of the festival. In the second half, we hear some music from young folk singer Rosie Hood. 16–18 Mar kingsplace.co.uk/tt

Jewish Book returns to Kings Place! Join us for 80 inspiring talks, conversations, debates and performances with some of the world’s most interesting minds and exciting personalities. We spoke to Festival Director Lucy Silver and David Waller, author of The Reputation Game, about the upcoming Festival. 3–11 Mar kingsplace.co.uk/jbw

Violinist Thomas Gould chats to our Creative Consultant, Helen Wallace, about his genre-defying 'Gould Standard' series, and shares his favourite Kings Place memories. Next concerts on 15 Dec & 28 Feb kingsplace.co.uk/gouldstandard

London A Cappella Festival 2018 will include a much-anticipated performance from The Beatbox Collective. Ben Eshmade chats to three members of this vocal supergroup to find out more about their passion for beatboxing – including a special live demonstration. 24 – 27 Jan kingsplace.co.uk/lacf

This autumn, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment launches a brand-new Sunday morning concert series for inquiring and curious minds. Ben Eshmade chats to the OAE's Chief Executive, Crispin Woodhead, and Professor Carlos Frenk who is part of the first concert on 22 Oct. kingsplace.co.uk/bachcantatas

This autumn, the EFG London Jazz Festival returns for a special 25th anniversary edition. We spoke to jazz musicians Bill Laurance and Henri Texier about their much-anticipated gigs at Kings Place. 10 – 19 Nov kingsplace.co.uk/ljf

Following the enormous success of the London Podcast Festival in 2016, we’re excited to launch a spin-off series of themed mini-festivals. This year, London Podcast Festival presents... focuses on Wrestling! Festival programmers Zoë Jeyes and Frazer Mclean shared their enthusiasm for this popular form of 'sports entertainment' in a conversation with Ben Eshmade. Sat 9 Sep, Kings Place kingsplace.co.uk/wrestling

The contemporary composer, teacher, pianist, accordionist and music publisher Howard Skempton celebrates his 70th birthday at Kings Place this October. Joined by conductor David Wordsworth, he chats to Helen Wallace about his diverse body of work and plans for the future. Fri 13 Oct kingsplace.co.uk/HowardSkempton

London Piano Festival (5-8 Oct) returns to Kings Place with an underlying Russian theme. Ben Eshmade chats to the acclaimed pianists Ilya Itin and Nelson Goerner about their exciting solo recitals. kingsplace.co.uk/lpf

The acclaimed Eden Stell Guitar Duo return to Kings Place this summer to launch their new album Cançons i danses - the first guitar CD dedicated to the work of the Catalan composer Federico Mompou (1893–1987). Part of the IGF Guitar Summit 2017. 20 - 22 Jul kingsplace.co.uk/IGFGS

Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose return to Kings Place this summer with a new production of Poulenc and Cocteau’s astonishing La voix humaine – a raw and intimate one-woman opera. 2, 10 & 16 Jul and 6 & 20 Aug kingsplace.co.uk/OperaUpClose

This summer, members of The Stax Music Academy travel from Memphis to the London stage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Stax/Volt European Tour. Find out how the Academy has inspired and changed the lives of many young people living in one of the most economically depressed zip codes in the United States. Sat 15 Jul, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/StaxMusic

This June, Kings Place launches The Politics Festival – a weekend of pro-politics talks, debates, discussions and plenty of politics-related entertainment. The Festival's producer Zoë Jeyes talks to journalists and political commentators Steve Richards and Ian Birrell about some of the big topics and speakers featured this year. 23 – 25 June kingsplace.co.uk/tpf

Poet in the City's Chief Executive Isobel Colchester chats to Ben Eshmade about the exciting programme of this year's Poetry & Lyrics Festival (9-10 June). In the second half, versatile vocalist Elaine Mitchener talks about her Cagean happening on 10 June. Sat 10 June, 6.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/JohnCage

Leading cellist Guy Johnston is joined by distinguished soprano Joan Rodgers in a Russian-themed programme which delves into the soulful songs of Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and the cosmopolitan Pauline Viardot. Part of the Cello Unwrapped series at Kings Place. Fri 12 May kingsplace.co.uk/GuyJohnston

Songlines Magazine Editor Jo Frost talks to folk singer Sam Lee about his inspiring Vindauga / Windeye project, which explores the intersections between Norwegian, Scottish and English traditional music. Part of this year’s Songlines Encounters Festival at Kings Place (1–3 June). kingsplace.co.uk/sef This is the final episode in our #SonglinesEncounters podcast series.

Ben Eshmade chats to Giuliano Modarelli and Al MacSween, founders of the international music collective Kefaya. They perform at this year’s Songlines Encounters Festival at Kings Place (1–3 June). kingsplace.co.uk/sef This is the second episode in our #SonglinesEncounters podcast series.

Scottish-Canadian jazz singer Alison Burns and multi-award winning guitarist Martin Taylor celebrate the 100th anniversary of legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald. They explore Ella's Grammy-award winning collaboration with guitarist Joe Pass. This is the final episode in our 'Strong Women, Strong Voices' podcast series. Thu 18 May, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/EllaFitzgerald

The fourth episode in our 'Strong Women, Strong Voices' podcast series features Jerusalem-born singer Mor Karbasi. She talks about her diverse cultural influences and the liberating joy of singing. Sat 6 May, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/MorKarbasi

Simon Broughton, Editor-in-Chief of Songlines Magazine, chats to Bollywood Brass Band member Kay Charlton and South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, who perform at this year’s Songlines Encounters Festival at Kings Place (1–3 June). kingsplace.co.uk/sef This is the first episode in our #SonglinesEncounters podcast series.

The third episode in our 'Strong Women, Strong Voices' podcast series features writer and comedian Amy Annette who celebrates the Kings Place premiere of her comedy talk show 'What Women Want' with special guests Jessie Cave, Lolly Adefope and Tom Allen. They’ll be talking misconceptions, misadventures, misogyny, and mystique (the feminine one). All recordings of previous 'What Women Want' episodes used in this podcast are © Zak Annette. Mon 24 Apr, 7.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/WhatWomenWant

In the second episode of Kings Place's exciting 'Strong Women, Strong Voices' series, composer and robotic artist Sarah Angliss talks about her much-anticipated debut album as well as the human and non-human performers who will join the launch gig. Thu 20 Apr, 8.15pm kingsplace.co.uk/SarahAngliss

Martin Feinstein’s acclaimed Bach Weekend returns to Kings Place with its unique combination of informality and outstanding performances. The line-up includes Swedish lutenist Jakob Lindberg and other renowned musicians and ensembles. 7–9 Apr kingsplace.co.uk/bach

The first episode in Kings Place’s brand-new 'Strong Women, Strong Voices' podcast series features Brighton-based folk musicians Kristin McClement and Emma Gatrill who perform live on International Women’s Day. Wed 8 Mar, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/IWD

The new Beyond Cello division of the London Cello Society presents an exciting day of classes, concerts and an evening cabaret featuring stars from the world of ‘alternative cello’ including Shirley Smart and others. Part of the year-long Cello Unwrapped series at Kings Place. Sun 12 Mar kingsplace.co.uk/BeyondCello

Two exciting Kings Place debuts mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution: acclaimed pianist Alexander Karpeyev plays music of the Russian Silver Age on 13 Feb (kingsplace.co.uk/FinalFlowering). The Hermes Experiment present a programme of musical responses to the Russian Revolution including new pieces by contemporary composers on 16 Feb (kingsplace.co.uk/HermesExperiment).

Six Guys. Five Different Countries. One Sound. And, they’re back. Online jazz sensations Accent have quickly established themselves as one of the must-see acts on the scene. They return to the London A Cappella Festival 2017 after popular demand. Sat 28 Jan, 6.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/Accent2017

Cloudmakers Trio (Jim Hart, Michael Janisch & Dave Smith) are joined by special guests, Austrian-born guitarist Hannes Riepler and French-based alto saxophonist Antonin Tri Hoang, in what will surely result in their strongest program of original, genre-twisting music to date. Fri 13 January, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/CloudmakersTrio

ZRI present Schubert's String Quintet in C, reimagined to sound as radical as when it was first written. Bursting with gypsy and Hungarian themes, it is here rescored to include clarinet, santouri (cymbalom) and accordion, interleaved with traditional tunes. Sat 17 Dec, 7.30pm & 10pm kingsplace.co.uk/ZRISchubert

Aurora Orchestra continues its extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime journey through the complete cycle of Mozart’s piano concertos, staged over five years (2016–20). The 2017 season features Imogen Cooper, Shai Wosner, the Labèque sisters, Tom Poster and other star pianists. First concert on Sat 18 Mar, 6.15pm kingsplace.co.uk/MozartsPiano2017

Prog-popster The Anchoress (aka Catherine AD) celebrates the vinyl release of her debut album 'Confessions Of A Romance Novelist' with a special one-off live show at Kings Place. Sat 17 Dec, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/Anchoress

Drawing the first year of the exciting Mozart’s Piano series to a close, Aurora Orchestra is joined by two recent winners of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition – Lara Melda and Martin James Bartlett – for a concert celebrating the exuberance, playfulness and imagination of Mozart’s childhood. Fri 16 Dec, 7.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/MozartsPiano

Following the recent success of their debut album ShadowLines, FLUX premiere a brand-new work: In Other Words. Combining music with dance, it explores our personal search for identity. FLUX leave audiences in awe of their multi-instrumental talents and combined virtuosity. With shades of Indie, Folk, Western and Indian Classical, their music take the listener on a cinematic journey. Fri 4 Nov, 8pm kingsplace.co.uk/InOtherWords

A strong sense of national character pervades French music throughout the ages. Lully, Charpentier, Couperin and Rameau are some of the composers who contributed to a rich period in France’s musical development. Curated by French Baroque specialist Eamonn Dougan, this series allows us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the musical opulence of the grand siècle of the French Baroque. 24–26 Nov kingsplace.co.uk/FrenchBaroque

The Swedish orchestra O/Modernt fuses Vivaldi with rock music, including Metallica, Muse and Pink Floyd as part of Kings Place’s Baroque Unwrapped series. Conductor / violinist Hugo Ticciati returns in 2017 for an inspiring concert with Kian Soltani and vocal ensemble VOCES8 as well as a special cross-cultural collaboration between O/Modernt, Matthew Barley, Sukhwinder Singh & Soumik Datta as part of the brand-new Cello Unwrapped series. Sat 22 Oct 2016, 7.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/VivaldiRocks Fri 31 Mar 2017, 7.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/VOCES8ensemble Fri 20 Oct 2017, 7.30pm kingsplace.co.uk/IndianInflections