Rosa Luxemburg, Claudia Jones, and Leila Khaled may have joined Lenin, Mao, and Che in the pantheon of twentieth-century revolutionaries, but the histories in which they figure remain unjustly dominated by men.

In this talk, activists **Sorcha Thomson** and **Marral Shamshiri** set the record straight, revealing how women have contributed to revolutionary movements across the world in endless ways: as leaders, rebels, trailblazers, guerrillas, and writers; revolutionaries who also navigated their gendered roles as women, mothers, wives, and daughters.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

She Who Struggles

talks

Talk

London

Conway Hall

The **Eusebius Quartet** was formed in 2016 out of a passion for the extraordinary music written for this formation. They have gained a reputation for imaginative performances possessing “full-blooded yet flexible tone” (BBC Music Magazine). Their début CD, featuring the chamber music of Korngold with pianist Alasdair Beatson, was released in 2021 by SOMM to widespread critical acclaim, including being ‘Recording of the Month’ in BBC Music Magazine in 2022. Haydn Quartet in B flat ‘Russian’ Op.33/4

Bartók Quartet No.3 Sz.85

Beethoven Quartet No. 12 in E flat Op.127

Beatrice Philips • violin

Venetia Jollands • violin

Hannah Shaw • viola

Hannah Sloane • cello

*“Clear, slender-toned pleasure \[…\] what the Eusebius deliver here is convincing and stylish.”*

*– Gramophone*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Eusebius Quartet

Gigs

Change begins from below. Join grassroots activists **Leila Hassan** and **Andy Worthington** as they discuss marching against racism in the 1980s, protesting the New Cross Fire murders, seeking justice for British Guantanamo detainees and much more.

Leila Hassan is a British editor and activist and founding member of the Race Today Collective. Andy Worthington is an author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Grassroots Protest: Activism from Below

Confiding in her diary in 1935, twelve-year-old Madeleine Dring confessed that she ‘had wonderful ideas for a piece of music. Perhaps when I am advanced I shall be able to orchestrate it.’ This, her first ever diary entry, proved prophetic. Composer, actress, singer, and pianist Madeleine Dring (1923-77) was a multi-talented musician with a multifaceted career. A student of Ralph Vaughan Williams, she composed cabaret songs that she performed herself, wrote incidental music for the BBC and a significant body of chamber and piano works.

We are delighted that award-winning writer Leah Broad, known internationally for her work on British women composers, will open the evening with a talk on Dring.

This concert offers an exciting opportunity to explore Dring’s music and life, performed by a distinguished group of performers led by Nicholas Daniel OBE and Antonio Oyarzabal.

Dring Trio for oboe, bassoon & piano

Dring Idylle for oboe & piano

Dring Danza Gaya for oboe & piano

Dring Valse Française for piano

Dring Three Piece Suite for oboe & piano

Dring In the Still of the Night arr. for oboe piano

Dring Tango, Sarabande, Waltz and Italian Dance for oboe & piano

Dring Mazurka for piano

Dring Trio for flute, oboe & piano

Tom Hancox • flute

Nicholas Daniel • oboe

Amy Harman • bassoon

Antonio Oyarzabal • piano

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Madeleine Dring Celebration Concert

Conway Hall is excited to present superb folk trio, **Granny’s Attic** for a special evening, supported by rising star **Maddie Morris**.

With exceptional musicianship and boundless energy, **Granny’s Attic** are going from strength to strength. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (melodeon, anglo concertina, vocals), George Sansome (guitar, vocals) and Lewis Wood (violin, vocals) have honed their skills touring the UK and Europe since 2009. The trio have been heralded for their lively performances and skilled delivery of traditional material, playing with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. Described by Folk Radio as “one of the most exciting and accomplished English folk acts on the scene right now”, this outstanding trio can hold audiences in the palm of their hand.

*“Traditional folk music taken far beyond its parameters.”*

*– Tykes News*

**Maddie Morris** is an artist who strives to make a difference in the world. Bold, insightful and refreshingly unique, she takes traditional song in new directions to shine a light on contemporary issues, offering new perspectives about the world we live in today. Passionately political, yet gently understated, this is music that deftly treads the path between art and activism.

*“Maddie’s voice is extraordinary and matched with her beguiling guitar playing she can’t possibly go wrong.”*

*– Castle Carrock*

Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult.

Folk Unplugged: Granny’s Attic and Maddie Morris

Granny's Attic - Wheels of the World

Maddie Morris

Granny’s Attic

Join **Electric Voice Theatre** and music historian **Oskar Jensen** for an informal evening of songs, poetry and story-telling at Conway Hall’s historic Library, celebrating the music of Eliza Flower (1803–1846) in the context of her contemporaries, Franz Schubert and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. This is a unique opportunity to be among the first people to hear her work performed for at least 100 years. The performance will be accompanied by a display of rarely seen archival materials from Conway Hall.

Electric Voice Theatre and Oskar Jensen will introduce you to Flower’s fascinating life – her politics and her music – with some delightful songs for the seasons, dramatic hymns and powerful protest songs. Discover her interpretations of the works contemporary writers like Sir Walter Scott and her frequent collaborators, radical feminist Harriet Martineau, and her sister, the poet Sarah Flower Adams who is best known for penning the hymn *Nearer My God To Thee*.

**The event will take place in Conway Hall’s Grade II listed Library, which we regret is not wheelchair accessible.**

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Flowers of the Seasons: Politics, Power & Poverty

The **Edinburgh Quartet** has long been celebrated as one of Britain’s foremost chamber ensembles, having appeared regularly at prestigious venues across the UK and toured extensively across Europe, Asia, as well as North and South America.

In addition to a busy concert schedule the Edinburgh Quartet is frequently featured in radio broadcasts for the BBC and other stations. Recently this has included live appearances on Classics Unwrapped (BBC Radio Scotland), Jazz Line-Up and In Tune (BBC Radio 3) as well as video recordings for Studio One Sessions, which appear on the BBC Radio Scotland website.

Haydn Quartet No.5 in F minor ‘Sun’ Op.20

Kodály Quartet No.2 Op.10

Ravel Quartet in F

Nicolas Dupont • violin

Gongbo Jiang • violin

Catherine Marwood • viola

Mark Bailey • cello

*“Richly considered, rigorously balanced and, ultimately, a musical treat.”*

*– The Scotsman*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Edinburgh Quartet

**Max Dickins** quickly learned that that he wasn't the only man struggling with friendships. Countless studies have confirmed that men have fewer close friends than women and the problem gets worse the older men get. But what goes wrong? And what can men do about it? In this Ethical Matters talk, Max shares his journey as he tries to answer that crucial question - where have all my friends gone?

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Billy No Mates? Men, Loneliness and Friendship

This November, **The Clements Prize** returns to Conway Hall, celebrating the brightest and best young composers in our biannual competition.

The 2023 edition of The Clements Prize for Composers calls for new works for piano trio. Compositions selected for the final will be performed by the **Fidelio Trio** in this concert, before a distinguished panel of judges selects the winner of a £3,000 prize.

Alfred J. Clements (1858-1938) was the organiser and secretary of the South Place Sunday Concerts (predecessor of Conway Hall Sunday Concerts) from their inception in 1887 until his death. In the first half of the twentieth century the competition bearing his name encouraged the composition of new chamber works, establishing a tradition which set Conway Hall right at the centre of British contemporary music.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

The Clements Prize for Composers 2023

The Fibonacci Quartet have recently taken prizes at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Competition at Wigmore Hall. Since their formation in 2019 they have performed throughout Europe and are quickly establishing a reputation as compelling performers of a wide variety of repertoire. We are delighted to be able to welcome them for their Conway Hall début.

We are incredibly grateful to the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust for their support of this concert.

*Pre-Concert Recital: Bartholomew LaFollette & Caroline Palmer • 5.30pm*

Rachmaninoff 2 Pieces Op.2

Terterian Cello Sonata

Bartholomew LaFollette • cello

Caroline Palmer • piano

*Fibonacci Quartet • 6.30pm*

**Mozart** Quartet in D minor K421

**Bartók** Quartet No.4 in C Sz91

**Mendelssohn** Quartet in F minor Op.80

Luna De Mol - violin

Kryštof Kohout - violin

Elliot Kempton - viola

Findlay Spence - cello

*“The Fibonaccis are definitely an ensemble to look out for in the future.”*

*– Patrick Lambert for the Dvořák Society Newsletter*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Fibonacci Quartet

In November 2023 Doctor Who will turn 60. Amongst the monsters, machines and Master, the show has always asked philosophical questions from the start - from sacrificing a wounded caveman to whether the Daleks make the rest of the universe better. Should we ever give up on a friend as toxic as The Master? Who would we be without emotions, what is the true cost of war and what the nature of ‘cool’ when it comes to bowties?

Join broadcaster and cultural historian **Matthew Sweet,** and author and *Doctor Who: The Fan Show* presenter **Christel Dee,** to explore Ethical Matters in Time and Space.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Ethical Matters: 60 Years of Doctor Who

It’s getting darker. Join the **London Fortean Society** at Conway Hall as we explore the Haunted Landscape - our annual gathering of witchcraft, folklore, ghosts, and fairies from the British Isles.

The day's line up will include:

**Allyson Shaw** - *Ashes and Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness*

**Sandra Lawrence** - *"As if the sick earth had burst into foul pustules": Fungi in Folklore and Superstition*

**Kirsty Hartsiotis** - *Ghosts of the Cotswold and Wiltshire Landscape*

**Dr Helen Frisby** - *The Sin-eater: lives and afterlives*

**James Edward Frost** \- *The Kentish Hooden Horse*

**Nigel Pennick** - *Secret Societies of Rural England: The Magic of Toadmen, Plough Witches, Mummers, and Bonesmen*

**Francis Young** - *The Origin of British Fairies*

**James Canton** - *Grounded: A Journey Into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors*

This is an 16+ event

The Haunted Landscape 2023

The career of Josephine Lang, a largely-forgotten nineteenth-century singer, pianist and composer, was constrained by the societal limitations of her time. This ‘portrait in music’ traces her life and gives voice to her music through her letters and songs, as well as music by Johannes Brahms and her friend and mentor Felix Mendelssohn.

Brahms Die Boten der Liebe Op.61/4

Brahms Auf dem See Op.106/2

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Aus Italien

Schubert Der Wanderer D489

Felix Mendelssohn Ich wollt’ meine Lieb’ Op.63/1

Lang Fee’n-Reigen Op.3/4

Lang Scheideblick Op.10/5

Lang An den See Op.14/4

Lang Aus der Novelle ‘Die Mathildenhöhle’ Op.14/1

Lang Sie liebt mich Op.33.3

Lang Ob ich manchmal Dein gedenke Op.27/3

Lang Auf dem See in tausend Sterne Op.14/6

Lang Vögelein Op.14/5

Lang Wiegenlied Op.26/1

Lang An die Entfernte Op.13/5

Lang Ruhetal Op.11/2

Lang Sängers Trost Op.11/5

Lang Am Bache Op.20

Lang Der liebe Bann Op.38/2

Lang Lied des jungen Werner (Aus dem Trompeter von Säckingen) Op.45/2

Lang Lied des Katers Hiddigeigei (Aus dem Trompeter von Säckingen) Op.45/5

Lang Herbst-gefühl

Lang Scheiden Op.43/4

Lang Gruß in der Ferne Op.44

Lang Vorsatz Op.38/1

Harriet Burns • soprano

Jess Dandy • contralto

Ian Tindale • piano

*“Burns was confident, polished, witty, expressive and sweet toned.”*

*– The Times*

*“The stunning young contralto Jess Dandy \[…\] offered sumptuous tone and beautiful legato. She’s a name to watch.”*

*– The Times*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

My Songs Are My Diary: Discovering Josephine Lang

Master of the English Concertina, **Alistair Anderson** features in a unique concert with outstanding young fiddle player, **Grace Smith**.

As a touring soloist, with no less than 37 tours of the USA, 5 trips to Australia and countless European tours to his credit, **Alistair Anderson** is internationally acknowledged as the master of the English Concertina and a fine exponent of the Northumbrian Pipes. He delights audiences with traditional music from Northumberland and beyond, as well as his own music, which has grown out of his love of these traditions.

*“He is a treat to watch… His involvement and delight in the music are infectious… Beautiful music, played with skill, taste and affection.”*

– fRoots

**Grace Smith** is a fiddle and viola player. An experienced performer, playing with several bands as well as solo, she was awarded a Seed Funding bursary in 2018 from the English Folk Dance and Song Society as part of the PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development Partnership. Since spring 2022, she has had performances at Sage Gateshead, Festival on the Edge, and Warwick Folk Festival. She can also be seen performing with Cri du Canard, a band inspired by French dancing traditions.

*“Grace Smith always brings her many musical facets together in an innovative and creative way- expect a real gem!”*

– Catriona Macdonald, Shetland Fiddler

Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult.

Folk Unplugged: Alistair Anderson and Grace Smith

Alistair Anderson - Cut and Dry Dolly

Grace Smith

Alistair Anderson

This autumn, in partnership with The CERA PROJECT, Conway Hall is exclusively screening Filipa César’s award-winning documentary *Spell Reel*, to explore and question the very nature of what it means to archive. Following the screening, Conway Hall will host an interactive panel discussion with the audience, as we further interrogate the ethical matters in César’s film.

This is an 16+ event

Archiving By Other Means

film

Film

**Sadia Azmat** has many different sides to her, she is the good Muslim sister and the loud and proud comedian, she is the quiet and loving friend and the horny and outspoken one. So why does everyone put her in a box and expect her to choose between one or the other?

In this Ethical Matters talk, Sadia shares how she has learnt the hard way that she can embrace her sexuality and be a proud British-Indian Muslim. From discovering her sexual identity after seeing a copy of Asian Babes on the shelf in the corner shop to rejecting an arranged marriage and feeling distanced from her culture; from her experience dating white and Asian men to her tumultuous relationship with her headscarf, Sadia is unafraid to share her truth - because, ultimately, we all deserve to feel like a Sex Bomb.

This is a 16+ event

Sex Bomb: Being an Asian Babe

For the Halcyon Quartet’s début performance at Conway Hall, they offer a rare opportunity to hear the third quartet by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, dating from 1947, when the composer was living in Paris and enjoying life as a renowned violinist. Bacewicz’s quartet is flanked by two greats of the quartet repertoire: Haydn, the ‘father of the string quartet’, and Schubert, whose Rosamunde quartet is thus called as it draws material from his entr’acte for the play Rosamunde, composed just a year earlier.

Haydn Quartet in E flat Op.64/6

Bacewicz Quartet No.3

Schubert Quartet No.13 in A minor ‘Rosamunde’ D804

Millie Ashton - violin

Leidy Sinclair - violin

Georgie Davis - viola

Hee Yeon Cho - cello

“Future stars of British chamber music.”

– Eaton Square Concerts

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Halcyon Quartet

Tackle life like a poker player. Let your critical thinking guide you through the jungle of disinformation - and on to success in the game of life.

Presenting evidence from psychological research and a range of professionals - from FBI agents and behavioural economists to poker aces and bounty hunters - science journalist and poker player **Alex O'Brien** assembles strategies we can all use to analyse the information that surrounds us every day.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

The Truth Detectives

The London Piano Quartet have spent their first official season as an ensemble exploring the three masterpieces for piano quartet by Johannes Brahms. To conclude their 2023 series at Conway Hall they present the final quartet in C minor, ‘Werther’, thus named in reference to Goethe’s 1774 novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Two early works complete the programme: Mendelssohn’s F minor quartet, composed at the age of 14 and dedicated to Carl Friedrich Zelter, his music teacher; and Walton’s quartet, composed when the composer was just 16 but already exhibited many of the characteristics of his more mature works.

Mendelssohn Piano Quartet No.2 in F minor Op.2

Walton Piano Quartet in D minor

Brahms Piano Quartet No.3 in C minor ‘Werther’ Op.60

Michael Trainor - violin

Zahra Benyounes - viola

Jessie Ann Richardson - cello

Simon Callaghan - piano

*“A wonderful evening of music \[…\] a terrifically lively, joyous performance.”*

*– Conway Hall audience member*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

London Piano Quartet

The Zoffany Ensemble performs many of the greatest works in the chamber music repertoire by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms, alongside music by more neglected composers such as Farrenc and Arensky.

To close our autumn 2023 season, we welcome them back in a colourful programme of works for large ensemble: an early Divertimento by Mozart and Beethoven’s Septet, one of his most popular works in his lifetime, something which frustrated him so much that he is reported to have said: “That damn work! I wish it were burned!”. Berwald certainly did not share this sentiment and wrote his B flat septet, which completes the programme, inspired by Beethoven’s masterpiece.

Mozart Divertimento in D K205

Berwald Septet in B flat

Beethoven Septet in E flat Op.20

Manon Derome - violin

Douglas Paterson - viola

Anthony Pleeth - cello

Enno Senft - double bass

Anthony Pike - clarinet

Andrea de Flammineis - bassoon

Roger Montgomery - horn

*“We had a wonderful evening listening to great works of music \[…\] played by Zoffany Ensemble, an eight-member group who were really top class. Definitely recommend this fabulous music group and venue.”*

*– Conway Hall audience member*

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

Zoffany Ensemble

Conway Hall presents highly-acclaimed folk star **Kathryn Williams** for an evening of music, supported by exhilarating new artist **Dominie Hooper**.

From dusty Americana to playful jazz re-workings, and so much more besides, every record **Kathryn Williams** puts her name to burns with a meticulousness and an honesty that casts a spell all of her own making, following in the shadow of the listener for days at a time, for years to come. Kathryn is an artist that continues to listen and learn from the greats while, at the same time, undoubtedly becoming one herself; approaching her twentieth anniversary with a fiery spirit and a sense of adventure that has never once wilted.

*“(Kathryn Williams) shows us that quietness can resound so loudly.”*

– BBC

**Dominie Hooper** is a London-based, Dartmoor-born guitarist, cellist, singer & songwriter breathing new life into alternative music through seeds of alt-rock and British folk. Backpacking through survival, identity and self-discovery, Dominie’s music holds the listener with solidarity, optimism and infinite quantities of heart and grit. Through a voice that is at once arrestingly vulnerable and explosively fierce, this is a powerful landing.

*“Beautiful, challenging, fruitful, Dominie Hooper’s debut solo EP is captivating.”*

– Liverpool Sound and Vision

Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult.

Conway Hall

Gallery

Upcoming events