From April to July 2023, the University of Westminster will be hosting a free monthly public concert series in the historic Fyvie Hall on Regent Campus, which is set to reignite the University’s concert life and provide access to live music for all.
Through the series, which will consist of three organ concerts and one early music ensemble, audiences will be able to come together to enjoy music in the heart of the University.
The concerts will take place at 5:30pm on a Friday of each month and will allow people to experience a moment of calm as they wind down from the working week and relax into the weekend while also enjoying some refreshments.
All events in the Westminster Community Concerts series are open to the public, but the free places are limited and need to be booked in advance.
Students from the Royal Academy of Music, pieces for organ and trombone – Friday 28 April, 5:30pm
The first of the four concerts will take place at 5:30pm on Friday 28 April and will welcome three students from the Royal Academy of Music who have prepared a recital incorporating both the rare and recently refurbished 1934 Compton organ in Fyvie Hall and a trombone.
Organist Jeremy Ng will open the concert with an organ solo. Jeremy is a student of David Titterington at the Royal Academy of Music. He has given solo performances across different countries, including St. John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong; Neresheim Abbey, Germany; Notre Dame de France, London and more. In addition, he has played in organ masterclasses led by renowned musicians Daniel Roth and Masaaki Suzuki. Jeremy now serves as Organist and Choirmaster for Choir of Chinese congregation at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and organ scholar at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge.
The second half of the concert will consist of an organ and trombone duo. The Organist for this part will be Jason Tang, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree at the Royal Academy of Music.
Although early on in his career, Jason has been awarded numerous prizes including the Sir Elton John Prize, Norman Askew Organ prize, and the Dorothy Cooper Organ Prize.
Jason previously played at Christ Church, Spitalfields, and is currently Organ Scholar at Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, where he accompanies and occasionally directs the Chapel Choir for their weekly services. Recent recital engagements include Church of Notre Dame de France RC, London; Cathedral Basilica of St. Bavo, Haarlem; Korskirken, Bergen; St John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Andrew Cowie, who will play the trombone alongside Jason, is a third-year trombone student at the Royal Academy of Music. He began studying trombone at age 10 with Dr. Bill Clark. Andrew has done recordings for the BBC and Abbey Road studios and has played for various orchestras across the UK.
Recent performances include the London Handel Festival, Bach in Leipzig Cantata series, and the Royal Academy Jazz Orchestra. Last summer, he toured as an instrumentalist with Girton College Cambridge Choir, performing in Germany and Austria including in St. Peter’s cathedral in Salzburg and Passau cathedral.
Francesca Massey, Concert Organist – Friday 26 May, 5:30pm
Francesca is a Freelance Organist, Choral Conductor and Music Teacher with 20 years’ worth of experience playing in cathedrals up and down the UK. She started playing the organ at 12 years of age and went on to receive a number of prestigious scholarships and awards.
At 19, Francesca won all of the top prizes in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists’ diploma and was then awarded the WT Best Memorial Scholarship and Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and the Musicians Benevolent Fund’s Ian Fleming Award.
As well as releasing three extremely well-reviewed solo recordings, Francesca has performed widely as an accompanist.
At her concert in Fyvie Hall on 26 May, Francesca will be performing the following programme:
- Jubilatio by Anton Heiller
- Sonata No 16 in G# minor by Josef Rheinberger:
- Et Resurrexit (Theme, Fantasy and Fugue) by Kenneth Leighton
Palisander, Early Music Ensemble – Friday 16 June, 5:30pm
Palisander is made up of four talented recorder players: Tabea Debus, Caoimhe de Paor, Miriam Monaghan and Lydia Gosnell. The quartet’s refreshing and unique compositions have seen them compete and win many prestigious competitions both in the UK and abroad.
At the concert in Fyvie Hall, Palisander are playing their programme Divorced, Beheaded, Died. While this programme’s repertoire centres on one specific period: Early Tudor England, Palisander’s signature blend of movement, spoken word, additional percussion and singing combine to create a unique historical concert experience.
Divorced, Beheaded, Died follows the unfortunate stories of the women behind the rhyme: Henry VIII’s six wives. It includes music written for, inspired by and curated by these Queens, alongside historical accounts of the role music played in their lives.
The repertoire includes historically informed performance practice from the golden age of consort writing, alongside sensitive bespoke arrangements for recorders, bringing Tudor England to life.
Composers include Robert Fayrfax, John Taverner, Thomas Tallis, Henry VIII, alongside Traditional English songs.
