Concerts
| Concerts |
ECHOES FESTIVAL | Kyan Quartet + Ahmed Dickinson | Cuba Negra: Afro-Cuban Classics for Guitar and String Quartet | |
Sun 16 November 2025, 6.30pm |
'Dickinson is a true pioneer.' Classic FM Magazine In a new Conway Hall collaboration with Echoes Festival’s African Diaspora series, acclaimed classical guitarist Ahmed Dickinson joins forces with the Kyan Quartet to explore vibrant Afro-Cuban repertoire by Cuba’s most distinctive contemporary composers. Their programme brings some classical cool to the traditional string quartet format, with effervescent syncretisms of Afro, Cuban and European influences that explode the expressive possibilities of strings and guitar. A journey through irresistible rhythmic landscapes that will have you tapping your feet and swaying in your seat! The programme features the world premiere of Eduardo Martín’s heartfelt Recordando a Piazzolla (Remembering Piazzolla), alongside several UK premieres: Moforibale a Oshosi by Walfrido Domínguez, a powerful homage to the Yoruba deity of the hunt, drawing on Afro-Cuban ritual and chant traditions; López-Gavilán’s famous Cuarteto en guaguancó, a vibrant fusion of classical string-quartet writing with Cuban rumba rhythms; and Roberto Valera’s concise yet intense Cuarteto de cuerdas. Acrílicos, two compelling sound-paintings also by Martín, meld Caribbean lyricism with striking modernity – a combination also employed in Leo Brouwer’s Quintet, a piece brimming with Afro grooves that anticipates the swing of 1970s salsa, blended with the 20th-century techniques of composers such as Bartok and Stravinsky refracted through the unique lens of this legendary Cuban composer. Walfrido Dominguez Moforibale a Ochosi Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas guitar Kyan Quartet string quartet Ahmed Dickinson is one of the finest performers of the Cuban Guitar Movement. He is a sophisticated virtuoso on his instrument and an ambassador of Cuban culture. Since graduating from both the Royal College and Guildhall School of Music and Drama he has performed in prestigious venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, toured extensively around Europe, presented innumerable UK premieres, and released several critically acclaimed recordings. His latest CD Ilusión y Verdad is out now on Parma Recordings. Prize-winners of the 2024 ROSL competition and 2025 City Music Foundation artists, the award-winning Kyan Quartet brings together four exceptional musicians: Naomi Warburton, Sydney Mariano, Wanshu Qiu, and Simon Guemy. Established in 2020, the quartet enjoys a busy and vibrant career, having performed across Europe and Asia in venues including Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Beethoven-Haus Chamber Music Hall, Shanghai Opera House and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra Hall. They are keen promoters of both contemporary and Ibe/rican classical music, with previous projects focusing on Cuba and Brazil. SNEAK PEEK! Video clip This event is organised by the Iberian & Latin American Music Society (ILAMS) as part of Echoes Festival 2025’s ‘African Diaspora’ series in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes and Conway Hall TICKETS IN ADVANCE: Standard £14 | Members £12 | Student/NHS Discount £9 | Living Support £6 | Under 18’s FREE conwayhall.ticketsolve.com    |
ECHOES FESTIVAL | Nigel Foster, Ana Beard Fernández & Michel de Souza | Songs by Latin American Women Composers | |
Fri 21 November 2025, 7.00pm |
‘Ana Beard Fernández shines throughout with her clear, warm, voice.’ BBC Music Magazine In tandem with the London Song Festival - this year entirely dedicated to showcasing women composers - we continue to explore art song repertoire penned by female Latin American authors as part of our ongoing strand of events, Música y mujer. The programme encompasses pieces ranging in date from the 19th to 21st centuries, by composers from Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil and Cuba, including all-time favourites such as Besame Mucho, Júrame, and Hasta la vista to more rarely-heard gems of Song. Covering subjects as diverse as food and drink, love and passion, temptation, life and death, the music will also be interpreted by dancers, bringing a taste of the vitality, joy and passion of Latin America to an autumnal London evening. Chiquinha Gonzaga Feijoada do Brazil | Fado das Tricanas de Coimbra Mariela Rodríguez 'Poema de la jícara' from Tres Canciones/Tres poemas negros
Ernestina Lecuona Mi vida es soñar (bolero) | Ahora que eres mía (bolero)
Irma Urteaga Azul, tan azul celeste | Yo tan solo | Cánticos para soñar (selection) Hortencia do Rio Branco Aubade Adriana Verdié 'Mujer fuego' from De mujeres y elementos Odaline de la Martínez Canciones Yvette Souviron Habanera | Tango argentino Consuelo Velásquez Bésame mucho María Grever
Loca, loca | Ti-Ti-Pin (Mexican Waltz) | Júrame (Spanish Tango) | Hasta la vista Blanca Estrella 'Lunar' from Ciclo de canciones Modesta Bor Tríptico sobre poesía cubana (selection) Gisela Hernández Tránsito Ana Beard Fernández soprano
Michel de Souza baritone
Nigel Foster piano SNEAK PEEK! Video Clip This event is organised by the Iberian & Latin American Music Society (ILAMS) as part of Echoes Festival 2025's 'Música y Mujer' series in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes and the London Song Festival TICKETS £20 | £15 Concessions BOOKINGS MORE INFORMATION
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ECHOES FESTIVAL | Laura Peribañez & Katie Tertell | Lost in Plain Sight: Gaspar Cassadó’s Iberian Musical Legacy | |
Thu 27 November 2025, 7.00pm |
Catalan cellist, Laura Peribañez, and Cassadó specialist, Katie Tertell, join forces in this delightful programme for the unusual formats of solo and duo cello, inspired by the Spanish cellist Gaspar Gassadó and his legacies as a performer, arranger and composer. While most classical music lovers and scholars are familiar with Pablo Casals (1876-1973), few, even in Spain and Catalonia, will know the name of Gaspar Cassadó, his compatriot and most beloved disciple. Both were world-renowned cellists with distinguished careers. Cassadó (1897-1966) is also a respected composer of classical music whose pieces continue to be played by cellists around the globe. But as Casals became an international symbol for Catalan culture and peace, Cassadó’s ties to the Iberian Peninsula were mostly forgotten. This project examines the erasure of this connection as it exposes Spain’s difficult modern history, interrupted by the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the enduring legacy of the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975). By recovering Cassadó’s cultural and musical significance we can engage with Spain’s complex twentieth-century soundscape and the incomplete history of its modern classical music. In this lecture-recital, Professor Rosi Song will also provide commentary on the programme. Luigi Boccherini Sonata for Two Cellos in C Major, G74 Katie Tertell & Laura Peribañez Artero cellos Professor Rosi Song speaker Co-founder of the Lost in Plain Sight research project, award-winning American cellist Katie Tertell is also the founder and Artistic Director of the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival. A former member of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, she enjoys a rich and varied experience as a freelance artist in the UK, Europe and America, performing at major venues and Festivals. Trained at Indiana University, Cleveland Institute of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, she is currently based in Durham, UK where she teaches cello at Durham University. Spanish cellist Laura Peribañez Artero made her debut at L’Auditori de Barcelona at age 9 and has since performed extensively across Europe at festivals, including IMS Prussia Cove and the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. Recipient of multiple awards, including the Antonio Brosa Award at the Royal College of Music, Laura has showcased her talent at venues like London’s Cadogan Hall and Palau de la Música Catalana, amongst others. H. Rosi Song holds the Chair in Hispanic Studies at Durham University. A specialist in 20th and 21st century Spanish culture and literature, she is the author of Lost in Transition: Constructing Memory in Contemporary Spain (Liverpool UP, 2016), co-editor of Traces of Contamination: Unearthing Francoist Legacy in Contemporary Spanish Discourse (Bucknell UP, 2005) and Towards a Cultural Archive of la Movida: Back to the Future (Farleigh Dickinson UP, 2013). Her most recent book, co-written with Anna Riera, is A Taste of Barcelona: The History of Catalan Cooking and Eating (Rowman and Littlefield, 2019). SNEAK PEEK! Video clip This event is organised by the Iberian & Latin American Music Society (ILAMS) as part of Echoes Festival 2025 in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes with the kind support of Durham University’s Research Impact Fund (UK) TICKETS Admission FREE to Friends of Echoes Festival (email info@ilams.org.uk to join) IN ADVANCE: £20 | £15 Concessions | £10 Members of ILAMS ON THE DOOR: £25 | £20 Concessions | £15 Members of ILAMS BOOKINGS MORE INFORMATION  |
La Locura | Nātīvitās | |
Tue 2 December 2025, 6.30pm |
‘Ana Beard Fernández shines throughout with her clear, warm, voice.’ BBC Music Magazine Celebrate the festive season Hispanic-style with Nātīvitās, a joyful programme that interlaces original arrangements of music from the Mediterranean and the New World. The evening journeys through ancient Marian cantigas, Sephardic Hanukkah melodies, Spanish villancicos, and Neapolitan lullabies - music steeped in traditions of devotion and joy. Drawing on early Christian, Jewish, Moorish Al-Andalus, and folk traditions, the programme explores themes of the Nativity and celebration across cultures. The genre-crossing early music ensemble, La Locura, bring fresh vitality to this Early and traditional repertoire, combining instruments and voices from diverse musical heritages to create a distinctive sound. All works are arranged specially for the ensemble by Ana Beard Fernández, who directs the performance. There will be audience participation and all are welcome to join in! Anon Canción de una pastorcita al Niño Dios Anon La Marimorena José Ramón Gomis A la nanita nana Anon Ocho Kandelikas (canción sefardí) Alfonso el Sabio Santa Maria Strella Do Dia Improvisation on Noël pour les instruments Marc-Antoine Charpentier Noël pour les instruments 'Joseph est bien marié' Arcangelo Corelli Pastorale per la notte di natale Alfonso Maria de' Liguori Quanno nascette ninno Anon Los peces en el río La Locura Ana Beard Fernández director SNEAK PEEK! Video clip This event is organised by ILAMS (Iberian & Latin American Music Society) in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes, with the kind support of St Clement Danes Church
TICKETS IN ADVANCE: £30 | £20 Concessions | £10 ILAMS Members Admission FREE to Friends of Echoes Festival (email info@ilams.org.uk to join) BOOKINGS MORE INFORMATION ilams.org.uk | londres.cervantes.es | stclementdanesraf.org | anabeardfernandez.co.uk/la- |
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