A couple of years ago, on opposite sides of the world and unbeknown to one another, British artist and art historian **Dr Jane Wildgoose** and Tasmanian Aboriginal artist **Janice Ross** began focusing their researches on some artefacts that originated in Tasmania during the nineteenth century, which are now in a collection in the UK. The Seeing Truth in Museums exhibition showcases Ross's and Wildgoose's resulting work, “in conversation”: as they reveal a history of stolen children, racial science, and misappropriated artefacts, and reflect on the intergenerational trauma that remains an enduring legacy of the collecting practices of the British colonial era.

*This exhibition is open at Conway Hall between **Saturday 25 January and Sunday 2 February**, every day between **11am - 7pm**.*

This project is developed by Jane Wildgoose in association with Artquest and Conway Hall, at the invitation of the University of Connecticut; it is a new iteration of UConn's Future of Truth / Seeing Truth project funded by the Luce Foundation, with additional support from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.

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

Conway Hall

Seeing Truth in Museums: The Exhibition

London

In this talk, artist and art historian **Dr Jane Wildgoose** will discuss the background to her work on **Seeing Truth in Museums** – the subject of an exhibition with Tasmanian Aboriginal artist **Janice Ross**, in the Bertrand Russell Room, from 25 January - 2 February, and a half-day conference in the Library on Saturday 1 February. Jane will share some of the discoveries she has made in museum archives, and reflect on how these have shaped her understanding of the history of collecting, and her ongoing practice as an artist.

**Dr Jane Wildgoose** is an artist and art historian who combines research into the history of collecting with heartfelt investigations into the material culture of mourning. Following a commission to write a report on the human remains collection at the Natural History Museum in London, in 2006, she made a Sunday Feature for BBC Radio 3 examining the acquisition of human remains for museums during the British colonial era, and highlighting arguments for their repatriation today. Her ongoing research into the history of collecting is published with Negative Press.

Jane works to commission with historic collections and has exhibited at Sir John Soane's Museum and Kensington Palace in the UK, and Yale Center for British Art in the USA; she has also exhibited at the Crypt Gallery St Pancras and West Norwood Cemetery. Her current work, Seeing Truth in Museums, has been commissioned by the University of Connecticut and is funded by the Luce Foundation.

Seeing Truth in Museums

talks

Talk

A welcome return to Conway Hall for our Director of Music's ensemble, the **London Piano Quartet**. Their two year exploration of the Brahms piano quartets concludes with his final essay in the genre, nicknamed the 'Werther'. Forming a British first half, they showcase the youthful piano quartet by Walton, written when he was just 16, and give the world premiere of John Hawkins' 'Blake Visions', composed specially for the occasion.

London Piano Quartet

Gigs

***Seeing Truth in Museums*** brings together artists, curators and Indigenous knowledge holders to offer critical perspectives on visual and material culture historically collected for museums insituations of unequal power, in often violent and coercive circumstances, during the British colonial era.

Centring on a conversation between British artist and art historian **Dr Jane Wildgoose** and Tasmanian Aboriginal artist **Janice Ross**, ***Seeing Truth in Museum***s explores how artists and Indigenous knowledge holders navigate prevailing power structures in museums (and beyond) to tell truth about colonial legacies in collections, and associated intergenerational trauma, and to advocate for processes of reconnection and reparation.

At the ***Seeing Truth in Museums*** half-day conference, British artist and art historian Dr Jane and Janice will be be joined by artists, curators, and Indigenous knowledge holders who will share their experience of navigating power structures in museums, telling truth about colonial legacies in collections, and advocating for processes of reconnection and reparation.

This project is developed by Jane Wildgoose in association with Artquest and Conway Hall, at the invitation of the University of Connecticut; it is a new iteration of UConn's Future of Truth / Seeing Truth project funded by the Luce Foundation, with additional support from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.

Seeing Truth in Museums: Conference

What does Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition have in common with the chicken that crossed the road? Or James Baldwin’s campaign for civil rights with the development of AI? Or even Crossrail and George Bush’s ‘mission accomplished’? Optimism, irrational though it might be, is central to the human psyche: it seems to give us an advantage both in everyday life and in the evolutionary race.

In his book *The Bright Side*, **Sumit Paul-Choudhury** makes a vital and transformative argument: that optimism is not only the natural state of humanity, but an essential one. Without optimism we would never have survived the unpredictable – and often hostile – world we evolved into. Yet optimism is not reserved for times of extremity. Its benefits manifest throughout our everyday lives: our relationships, careers, bodies and minds. And it will play a critical role in overcoming the challenges of the twenty-first century.

**Sumit Paul-Choudhury** is an astrophysicist-turned-journalist, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine and has served as a judge for the Baillie Gifford Prize (then Samuel Johnson Prize), the Wellcome Prize and the Costa Book Awards. *The Bright Side* is his first book.

Why Optimism Wins

As the only ensemble to ever win both First and Audience Prizes at the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in Italy (2024), the **Fibonacci Quartet** are one of Europe's leading young string quartets. During the 2024/25 season the Quartet will perform extensively throughout Europe, including concerts in the UK, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and France. We are pleased to welcome them for their Conway Hall return, performed some of the most-loved repertoire for string quartet!

Fibonacci Quartet

Named in Classic FM's '30 under 30', **Daniel Shao** is one of the leading flautists of his generation, and recently won the Royal Over-Seas League Wind Competition. For this specially-curated programme, he is joined by other emerging artists in a programme spanning some three centuries. An evening of music not to be missed!

**Pre-Concert Recital with the Bute Wind Quintet**

The **Bute Wind Quintet** is a multi-award winning ensemble, whose mission is to promote contemporary and underperformed chamber music. The Quintet have had a busy 2024, giving recitals at the Beaumaris Festival and Fishguard Music Festival among others. We are delighted to welcome them for their Conway Hall debut.

Daniel Shao & Friends + Pre-Concert Recital

\***IN PERSON TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE NOW SOLD OUT. TICKETS TO JOIN THIS EVENT VIA LIVESTREAM ARE AVAILABLE HERE: https://conwayhall.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173660292**\*

Witty and engaging TikTok historian **J Draper** digs out unusual stories of individuals that have shaped the world, and discovers the lessons their unique experiences can teach us. Breaking away from history as told through the lens of kings, queens and nobles, this book instead lifts the lid on 24 fascinating stories of little-known underdogs, mavericks, trailblazers and oddballs.

Through these stories you will meet characters such as: Sabrina Sidney - an orphan who was kidnapped into a bizarre child-raising experiment Eleanor Rykener – a gender-bending sex worker from medieval England who spilled juicy gossip about her clients in the clergy Peter the Wild Boy – a child found living in the woods in Germany who was taken to the royal court in England Ellen & William Craft - a couple who escaped from slavery in the US by dressing Ellen as a white man William Buckland – the man who wrote the first account of a dinosaur – yet who also ate his way through the animal kingdom .

These poignant and often hilarious true stories show us that the world as we know it was built by a wider array of historical figures than we experienced in our schoolbooks.

Mavericks: Lessons of History's Most Extraordinary Misfits

Experience **Adventures in the Electroverse**, a fully immersive art and 3D sound installation by renowned Yorkshire electronic music pioneer **Martyn Ware**, in collaboration with **Monitor Audio**.

This exhibition will make its London debut at Conway Hall, running from 12 February to 20 February 2025. Following its world premiere at the World Trade Center in New York and its first European appearance at The Piece Hall in Halifax in 2024, this is the highly anticipated London launch.

**Martyn Ware**, born in Sheffield, is famed for his work with The Human League and Heaven 17, whose hits like *Temptation*, *Let Me Go*, *Come Live With Me*, and *Crushed By The Wheels of Industry* took the electro-pop scene by storm.

**Adventures in the Electroverse** is the aural and physical manifestation of Martyn’s *Electronically Yours with Martyn Ware* podcast, where he connects with artists from music, art, film, comedy, TV, and creativity—many of whom he’s met throughout his stellar career.

The exhibition blends Martyn’s passion for oral history and 3D soundscapes, featuring content reimagined from his podcast, played through Monitor Audio’s SoundFrame on-wall speakers. Each speaker is adorned with portraits of his famous interviewees, creating a truly immersive experience.

Adventures In The Electroverse - The Exhibition

As part of our *Sexpectations* season, we host former sex worker and campaigner **Elizabeth G.** alongside representatives from the **East London Stripper Collective** to discuss sex work in the UK and the fight for the rights of those involved.

Elizabeth is a British author and podcaster, campaigning for equality for sex workers. She is currently working to expand the scope of The Equality Act 2010 to include the sex industry, protecting those within it from discrimination. Her candid memoir, *Unashamed: Why Do People Pay for Sex?*, is available on the night. The book is a no-holds-barred, taboo-busting account of life as a sex worker and what it’s like to build a successful career in a multimillion-pound industry that exists largely in the shadows.

**Stacey Clare**, a stripper, writer, activist, theatre performer, and co-founder of the East London Stripper Collective, is the resident “Gobbess” of the collective. She campaigns for sex workers’ rights, gives public talks, and writes articles, including for her book *The Ethical Stripper*. As one half of the sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show Ask A Stripper, Stacey travels across the country campaigning for strippers’ employment rights, making media appearances such as Good Morning Britain and a TedX Talk.

This is an 16+ event

Sexpectations: Redefining Consent, Work and Rights

Join **Martyn Ware**, founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, in conversation with **Holly Elson**, Head of Programmes at Conway Hall, as they discuss the story behind his Adventures in the Electroverse exhibition.

In this insightful discussion, Martyn will share the journey that led him from his working-class upbringing in Sheffield to the forefront of the Synth Britannia movement. He’ll talk about his close friendship with Phil Oakey, working with iconic artists like Tina Turner, and the role of politics in his music.

Drawing from his *Electronically Yours* podcast, Martyn will also explore his creative collaborations with a range of personalities, from Sandie Shaw and Boy George to Fatboy Slim and Jeremy Corbyn. The conversation will offer a glimpse into his thoughts on culture, humour, politics, and why Sheffield Wednesday will always have his heart.

This talk is a chance to hear directly from Martyn about the experiences, inspirations, and ideas behind *Adventures in the Electroverse*, as well as the personal and political themes that have shaped his work over the years.

Adventures In The Electroverse: The Story

Martyn Ware

To close the **Adventures in the Electroverse** series, **Martyn Ware**, electronic music pioneer, will be in conversation with **Cherub Sanson**, a leading sound healer and sound artist, to explore how music and sound can drive positive change.

As previous creative collaborators, Martyn and Cherub will reflect on their shared experiences of using sound as both an artistic and therapeutic tool. Cherub has played a key role in bringing therapeutic sound into popular consciousness, and will discuss its transformative power in healing and restoring balance. Martyn, known for his work in immersive sound and innovative music production, will share insights into how sound can influence collective consciousness and foster social change.

Together, they will explore how soundscapes—whether through music, therapy, or immersive experiences—can contribute to a more harmonious and compassionate world. This conversation promises to highlight the often-overlooked impact of sound on our wellbeing and society.

The Power of Sound: Creating a Better Future

**Shiry Rashkovsky** returns to Conway Hall alongside one of Britain's most respected tenors, **James Gilchrist**, and rising star pianist, **Ian Tindale**. Their programme, entitled 'Roots and Ever Green', showcases some of the most beautiful British works for voice, viola and piano.

Shiry Rashkovsky

Around 40 per cent of UK adults are single at any one time. Far from being a transitional state between relationships, singledom offers freedom, self-discovery, and self-determination. However, there are challenges, both social and economic. How do you handle being ill alone? Who do you call if you're stranded late at night? If you can't find the right person to have a baby with, should you become a parent alone?

As part of our *Sexpectations* season, **Nicola Slawson** explores being un-partnered in a world designed for couples and how to find joy in the life you're already living. Whether you're newly single, long-term solo, reluctantly so, or just wondering what to say to your aunt when she asks if you'll ever get married, this talk is a great starting point for celebrating the opportunities of being single.

**Nicola Slawson** is a freelance journalist, writer, and public speaker who has written about single life for The Independent, The i Paper, Refinery29, HuffPost, and Positive News. In 2020, she was named by The i Paper, alongside figures like Poorna Bell, Tracy Brabin, Africa Brooke, and Louise Minchin, as one of 14 women who have changed the conversation around issues affecting women.

Sexpectations: Single and Thriving

Described by Gramophone as, ‘spot-on in interpretative instinct’, the **Aquinas Piano Trio** has established itself as one of Britain’s most sought-after chamber groups. Following their Wigmore Hall debut in December 2015, *Musical Opinion* commented, ‘This sold out concert hall was in awe, ecstatic with joy at the final cadence.’ We are very happy to present their renowned artistry at Conway Hall!

Aquinas Trio

If you’ve ever checked your ex’s social media at 2am – or their new partner’s LinkedIn (because it’s the only social profile you can access) – or if everyone thinks you’re the perfect couple but you’ve been drifting apart for years, then you’ve probably felt a sting of shame. But here’s something radical: your darkest secrets, your most shameful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours – you’re not alone.

Artist **Philippa Found**’s *Lockdown Love Stories* project emerged during the early days of the pandemic. Through anonymous submissions, people shared their unfiltered stories. From exes to being single, hookups to breakups, dating, situationships, friendships, and relationships, these aren’t love stories; they’re stories about love. Beyond lockdown, the project thrived, collecting over 1,500 stories. Philippa’s book, *It’s Complicated*, showcases over 250 curated pieces, peeling back the layers of modern relationships. Each story offers a glimpse into others' lives, cultivating empathy and reminding us of our shared humanity.

**Philippa Found** is a feminist storyteller. Believing the personal is political, she is an artist, writer, and curator based in London. Her work spans performance, text, participatory art, public interventions, video, and installation, using storytelling as a radical act to counter the shame silencing that oppresses women’s hidden realities, from desire and relationships to motherhood and the body.

Sexpectations: Messy Modern Love

Formed in 2016, **Trio Cordiera** comprises scholars from the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Drama, where they have all been taught by world-renowned artists including So-Ock Kim, Krysia Osostowicz, Christopher Elton, Tatiana Sarkissova, Jo Cole and Christoph Richter. Their Conway Hall debut programme explores a wide range of repertoire, from effervescent Haydn to impassioned Mendelsohn, passing along the way through the dramatic world of the young Beethoven and Mel Bonis's exquisite 'Soir et Matin'.

Trio Cordiera

**Abi Millar** is a journalist and author living in London. She studied English at Cambridge University and science journalism at City University London, and has written for outlets including Patient, Netdoctor, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, New Statesman and Vice. She is also a yoga teacher who has long been fascinated by the intersection of critical thinking and spirituality. *The Spirituality Gap* is her first book.

Abi grew up in an evangelical church, but after she lost her faith, she found herself searching for spirituality in other places. Torn between the logical part of her brain and the part that secretly believes in magic, and in the wake of a great loss, she wondered whether her crisis of faith was part of a larger story: at a time when more and more people in the Western world are moving away from organised religion, what does spirituality look like? Abi receives a shamanic healing, drinks ayuahuasca, delves into astrology, experiences an awakening in a lake, and attends an atheist church. She explores our post-religious world from the perspective of someone who is neither an ‘overtly spiritual hippie, nor an angry atheist. Throughout, she asks: how?

The Spirituality Gap: Searching for Meaning in a Secular Age

The **Greenwich Trio** are no strangers to the Conway Hall stage! They have put together a special programme for this concert, on the weekend we celebrate International Women's Day. Come along to join us for an evening of discovery, performed by one of the UK's finest trios.

**Pre-Concert Recital with The Susanne Beer Cello Corner Foundation**

Don’t miss this short pre-concert performance by **The Susanne Beer Cello Corner Foundation**. Discover new repertoire for cello and piano by women composers and learn about this wonderful charity which supports young cellists through cello & bow loans and tuition grants. The cellists are all high-calibre aspiring professionals and they are excited to be performing at Conway Hall!

Greenwich Trio + Pre-Concert Recital

We are in a new age of terror, with self-radicalising, hard-to-categorise individuals planning violence. Each one caught by the British state tells us something about British society. Security services are striving to contain a staggering 3,000 far-right extremists, Islamist and other potential threats. As the far right has gained popularity and acceptance around the world, its ranks have swelled with an unlikely category of members: women. Understanding how and why women join movements that explicitly aim to restrict their autonomy is essential if we want to fight back.

In their book *Pink-pilled*, journalist **Lois Shearing** interviews leading experts and infiltrates communities of tradwives and femtrolls to provide a cutting-edge account of how the far right uses the internet to recruit women. Shining a light on women's experiences within these movements, Shearing offers key insights for countering women's radicalisation and building communities resistant to far-right thought.

**Lizzie Dearden** is 'The Independent's' Home Affairs Editor. She has been covering terror attacks, prosecutions and extremism of all kinds in the UK, in depth, since 2017. Lizzie is also a long-term observer of global terrorism. trends; she previously reported on Isis-inspired attacks in Europe and elsewhere. Lizzie is the author of *Plotters: The UK Terrorists Who Failed*.

Women and the Far Right

Acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, Japanese violinist **Coco Tomita** first gained recognition after winning the BBC Young Musician 2020 Strings Category. She has played as a duo with our Artistic Director **Simon Callaghan** for several years, during which time they have released two albums for Orchid Classics and given recitals at the Menuhin Hall, Lammermuir Festival, Harrogate Festival, Dubai Opera and Saffron Hall among many others. Don't miss the opportunity to get to know one of the most exciting up-and-coming violinists in her Conway Hall debut recital!

Coco Tomita & Simon Callaghan

The **Lark Piano Trio** was formed at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since their formation, the trio has taken part in masterclasses with the Fidelio Trio, Joseph Swensen, David Dolan, David Watkin, and Anto Pett. The trio won the prestigious Governor’s Chamber Prize which resulted in engagements in venues across Scotland. In a special debut recital supported by CAVATINA, the trio makes a rare London appearance, and alongside two masterpieces from the canon, they present a new work by young British composer, Tom W Green.

**We would like to thank the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust for their support of this evening's recital.**

Lark Piano Trio

Poverty is bad for everyone. Being at the sharp end of disadvantage is shameful, reduces brainpower, and hampers positive action. It increases crime, burdens healthcare systems and raises taxpayers’ bills. While the ultra-rich bask in the glory of superstar status, people in poverty are cast as second-rate citizens. Deeply engrained prejudice and punitive policies lead to vicious cycles of deprivation. Positive psychology that emphasises personal strengths can be empowering for some, but also feeds toxic narratives of failure and defeat.

The flipside of taking credit for individual success is that the inability to achieve it is attributed to personal shortcomings. Writer and researcher **Keetie Roelen** exposes the realities of poverty and reveals why policies don’t work. She offers a radical rethink of current efforts to tackle poverty, what it means and how we break the cycle. Keetie provides the tools to relate to poverty, realise why current interventions often don’t work, and to respond to the situation in a way that gives everyone a sense of dignity and agency.

**Keetie Roelen** is a leading thinker in poverty and social policy and a longstanding advocate for social justice. She currently works as a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Deputy Director at the Centre for the Study of Global Development at The Open University, the largest university in the UK. She is the author of *The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change it*.

The Empathy Fix

Commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and written during the winter of 1975, Lennox Berkeley's Wind Quintet provides the inspiration for a colourful programme of music presented to close our spring 2025 season, by the composer's namesake, the **Berkeley Ensemble**. The ensemble was formed by friends in a spirit of adventure. ‘An instinctive collective’ (The Strad), its members have come together from diverse corners of musical life to make music in new ways, reach new audiences and, most importantly, explore new repertoire, be it newly written or inadvertently forgotten. Join us for our season closing 'party', featuring colourful, beautiful and exciting music for piano and winds!

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