Join us for a Fundraising Concert in support of our 25/26 Season

Vermeer Chamber Concerts presents intimate, specially curated concerts in beautiful and inspiring spaces. As a newly registered charity (no. 1214101), we need your support to bring our third season of concerts to life!

Whether you wish to contribute to the upcoming season, become a Vermeer Friend, renew your membership or support a specific programme or artist, it’s your generosity that makes these concerts possible.

We are deeply grateful for the continued support of all our existing Friends and donors.

Programme

Johannes Brahms - Scherzo from the ‘FAE’ Sonata for violin and piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata for piano and violin in G major, K. 301

Bill Thorp - A selection of duos for two violins

Frédéric Chopin - Nocturne op. 27 no. 2 & ‘Minute’ Waltz, op. 64, no. 1

Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Trio in D minor, op. 49

~ Sijie Chen (violin), Sam Haywood (piano), Hugh Mackay (‘cello) & Bill Thorp (violin & arranger) ~

Tickets: £45 including drinks (tickets are strictly limited and must be booked in advance). Please note that this special fundraising concert falls outside our Season Pass.

We gratefully welcome a suggested donation of £50 - or any amount you can contribute - in support of our upcoming Season. Alternatively we invite you to consider joining the Vermeer Friends or Vermeer Circle. More information can be found on our Support Us page. Your donation will go even further if you are eligible for Gift Aid.

To avoid processing fees, it’s possible to make a direct bank transfer to our charity account: The Co-operative Bank, Sort code 08-92-99 Account number 67447376, Reference: your name

You are warmly invited to arrive from 6:15pm for drinks and nibbles. The music will begin at 7:00pm

Duration: approx. 1 hr 15 mins, followed by drinks

Sam Haywood

British pianist Sam Haywood has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Philharmonie de Paris, the Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. He also appears regularly on BBC Radio 3. The New York Times hailed his “Passionate flair and sparkling clarity” and the Washington Post his “dazzling, evocative playing.”

Sam embraces a wide spectrum of the piano repertoire and is equally at home as soloist and chamber musician. He recently returned from a duo tour of China with violinist Joshua Bell and has performed on many occasions with cellist Steven Isserlis. Private audiences have included the late Princess Diana, the then Vice-Presidents Biden and Xi, Hillary Clinton, HRHs The Duke and Duchess of Kent and David Attenborough.

He has released two solo albums for Hyperion Records, and several further recordings for Sony, Deux- Elles and Toccata Classics. Passionate about early instruments, he made a Chopin disc on the composer’s own Pleyel piano to celebrate his bicentenary.

Sam is also the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Solent Music Festival, set in the beautiful sailing town of Lymington. 

Hugh Mackay

Scottish cellist Hugh Mackay is a chamber music scholar at the Landesstiftung Villa Musica and has performed internationally at venues such as the Wigmore Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, and the Dortmund Konzerthaus. Hugh is a winner of the Suggia Gift and a Dortmund Mozart Gesellschaft scholarship and was a semi-finalist in the 2024 International Bach Competition. He is a member of Ensemble Jackalope, who are Young Artists at Britten Pears Arts this season. Hugh has performed at festivals such as the West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival with Lawrence Power, NUME Festival, and Mendelssohn on Mull with the Doric String Quartet. He has performed as guest principal cellist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Bill Thorp

Bill Thorp is a trustee of Vermeer Chamber Concerts. He started arranging music while still at school, as a member of a folk group in which he played string bass. More experience followed with a college based acoustic folk-rock bank, playing violin, viola and piano, which went on to work professionally for two years. Later, in a varied career which included performing with string quartets at some of London’s pizza restaurants, he was prompted to arrange music especially for that grouping and situation. Nowadays his playing career ranges from appearing on Renaissance, Baroque and Classical Violin with most of London’s period instrument groups, to odd recording sessions on country and western fiddle in various popular styles - his greatest claim to fame being featured on a number one hit in Slovenia… 40 years on, they are still touring the band!

Sijie ‘Susie’ Chen

Chinese-born British violinist Sijie 'Susie' Chen moved to the UK when she was five years old. While studying in the UK, USA and Germany, she was a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. She now enjoys performing internationally as a chamber musician and chamber orchestra principal.

Most at home in chamber music, Sijie has collaborated with artists including Nicola Benedetti, Roderick Williams, Alina Ibragimova and many other wonderful musicians and friends; at the Edinburgh International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Roman River Festival and other festivals worldwide. She leads the Bloomsbury Players and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Vermeer Chamber Concerts.

Sijie is the co-leader of the London Mozart Players. She guests with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Aurora Orchestra, and on period instruments with the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and La Nuova Musica. 

A summer fundraising concert for Vermeer Chamber Concerts, kindly hosted by Peter Tompkins.

Vermeer Chamber Concerts brings intimate and specially curated chamber music concerts to beautiful and inspiring spaces. We are launching the Vermeer Friends and Vermeer Circle! Join us and enable us to bring a second year of concerts to life - we are very grateful for your generosity.
 
Clara's Romances:

An indulgently romantic programme, featuring the Romances by Clara and Robert Schumann, three evocative pieces by Huw Watkins and the sublime violin sonata in G by Brahms. The connecting strands are works dedicated to Clara by Brahms and Mendelssohn.

~ Huw Watkins MBE (piano, composer) & Sijie Chen (violin) ~

Tickets: £45 including drinks

You are warmly invited to arrive from 6pm for drinks and nibbles. The music will begin at 6:30pm

Duration: approx. 2 hrs (including an interval)

Programme

Robert Schumann - Romances op.94

Huw Watkins - Coruscation & Reflection

Clara Schumann - Romances op.22

interspersed with

Felix Mendelssohn - Song without Words, op. 62 no.6 'Frühlingslied'

and

Johannes Brahms - Intermezzo in Eb, op.117 no.1

—-Interval—-

Huw Watkins - Arietta

Johannes Brahms - Sonata for piano and violin in G, op.78

Huw Watkins MBE

“Watkins’s argument — full of surprises, although easily followed — began with a throbbing crotchet pulse led by the violas, layered above with curling phrases biting each other’s tails. From this point Watkins built a fast, exciting, harmonically plush edifice, rich in calls and responses, and spiralling climaxes cut off to reveal thoughtful musings percolating underneath.” - Geoff Brown on Symphony, The Times

Huw Watkins was born in Wales in 1976 and studied piano with Peter Lawson at Chetham’s School of Music and composition with Robin Holloway, Alexander Goehr and Julian Anderson at Cambridge and the Royal College of Music. In 2001 he was awarded the Constant and Kit Lambert Junior Fellowship at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught composition. He currently teaches composition at the Royal Academy of Music.

Watkins has written concertos for a number of high-profile soloists, including the widely acclaimed Violin Concerto (2010) for Alina Abragimova, premiered by BBC Symphony Orchestra with Edward Gardner. London Symphony Orchestra has commissioned two concertos: London Concerto (2005) and the Flute Concerto (2013) for Adam Walker, premiered under Daniel Harding in 2014. His longstanding relationship with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales has resulted in a number of works, including a Piano Concerto(2001-5) premiered in 2002 with the composer at the piano, and a Double Concerto (2004-5) premiered by Philip Dukes (viola) and Josephine Knight (cello). As Composer in Association, Watkins wrote the Cello Concerto (2016) for his brother Paul Watkins, premiered at the BBC Proms under Thomas Søndergård, Spring (2017) for orchestra premiered with Ryan Wigglesworth, and The Moon for chorus and orchestra, which premieres at the 2019 Proms. In 2017, the Hallé Orchestra commissioned Watkins’ Symphony, premiered under Music Director Sir Mark Elder. 2020 began with the world premiere of Dawning for Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

A wealth of chamber music is central to Watkins’ output, complementing his parallel career as a pianist. His solo violin Partita (2006) was written for Alina Ibragimova and the viola Fantasy (2006) was written for Lawrence Power. Long-time supporters the Nash Ensemble commissioned a Horn Trio (2008), and his String Quartet (2013) for the Carducci Quartet was a commission from the Manchester Chamber Concerts Society. Among works for his brother Paul Watkins is Blue Shadows Fall (2012-13) commissioned by Chamber Music Society Lincoln Center, who co-commissioned Watkins’ Piano Quintet with Wigmore Hall, premiered in April 2018. Wakins’ Four Fables (2018), commissioned by clarinettist Robert Plane and the Gould Piano Trio, received its premiere at the Three Choirs Festival and has received numerous repeat performances. Seven Inventions for piano and marimba was written for Colin Currie and premiered at the 2019 East Neuk Festival in Scotland with the composer at the piano. The duo will perform the work in a number of concerts in upcoming seasons, with performances scheduled at Wigmore Hall as well as in Ireland and the US.

Watkins is increasingly recognised as a sensitive composer for the voice. In My Craft or Sullen Art (2007) for tenor and string quartet, was written for Mark Padmore and the Petersen Quartet and premiered at Wigmore Hall, and Five Larkin Songs (2009-10) for soprano and piano, written for Carolyn Sampson, won a British Composer Award. He has written two song cycles for Ruby Hughes: Remember (2014) for soprano and string orchestra, and Echo (2017) for soprano and piano, which was commissioned jointly by Carnegie Hall and the Presteigne Festival. His Four Sonnets (2014) for tenor and piano premiered at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival in 2014 with Mark Padmore. Watkins has a growing body of choral works written for, among others, Stille Antico and the Choir of King’s College Cambridge, who commissioned a new carol for the 2017 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Music Theatre Wales commissioned two chamber operas, both with libretti by David Harsent: Crime Fiction (2008) followed by In the Locked Room (2011-12), a co-commission with Scottish Opera which received a new production at Staatsoper Hamburg in 2015 and at the Royal College of Music in July 2018.

Following an exceptional premiere of his Symphony No. 2 conducted by Sir Mark Elder and performed by the Hallé in 2021, Huw Watkins' work earned him the prestigious Sky Arts Classical Music award in 2022. Also in 2022, Watkins is featured at the Presteigne Festival in Wales, showcasing his works across a multitude of concerts. Further solidifying his talent, Watkins' captivating song cycle Echo, composed in 2017, has been masterfully recorded by the highly acclaimed soprano, Ruby Hughes, and released under the same title in 2023.

As one of the UK’s finest pianists Watkins has premiered works by Oliver Knussen, Tansy Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Michael Zev Gordon and has performed concertos with numerous leading orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. His recordings include chamber music discs on Chandos, Signum and Nimbus; Alexander Goehr’s piano cycle Symmetry Disorders Reach on Wergo; and music by Knussen on NMC.

Watkins’ own music has been recorded for NMC: In my craft or sullen art, a chamber music disc, was widely praised following its release in 2012, and a second disc of orchestral music, Symphony, was released in 2018. His Five Larkin Songs were recorded by Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton on BIS in 2020.

Huw Watkins was awarded the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Elise L. Stoeger Prize in 2016.

Sijie ‘Susie’ Chen

Sijie is the Artistic Director of Vermeer Chamber Concerts. While studying in the UK, US and Germany, she was a string finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, and now enjoys a varied career performing on modern and period violins.

As a chamber musician, Sijie has collaborated with artists including Nicola Benedetti, Roderick Williams, Alina Ibragimova and many other wonderful musicians and friends; at the Edinburgh International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Roman River and other festivals worldwide. She co-founded and leads the Bloomsbury Players, exploring Romantic chamber music with a historically informed approach.

Sijie is the leader of the Wild Arts Ensemble and co-leader of the London Mozart Players. She tours with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and is a member of the Academy of Ancient Music.

The clarinet quintets by Mozart and Brahms have become two of the most celebrated chamber works of all time. The Bloomsbury Players and esteemed clarinettist Katherine Spencer perform these works on period instruments, exploring the different possibilities in texture, sound and phrasing, and bringing a fresh approach to these glorious classics. They complete this programme with two arrangements by Bill Thorp of poetic songs by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms.

~ Katherine Spencer (clarinet) and the Bloomsbury Players - Sijie Chen & Will McGahon (violins), John Crockatt (viola), Orlando Jopling (‘cello) ~

Join us in the Portrait Gallery of the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury, with its fine Georgian interior. Tickets include free after-hours entry to the museum from one hour prior to the concert. The Foundling Museum tells the story of the UK’s first children’s charity, and houses the UK’s oldest public art gallery

Tickets: £38/28/10 in advance. Vermeer Season Pass available

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a short interval)

Programme

Clara Schumann, arr. Bill Thorp - Ich stand in dunklen Träumen, op.13 no.1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581

—-Interval—-

Johannes Brahms - Clarinet Quintet in b minor, op.115

Johannes Brahms, arr. Bill Thorp - Wie Melodien zieht es mir, op.105 no.1

A rising star, Dutch singer Roza Herwig takes us from Songbook to Cabaret via a scenic route. With her multi-genre talents in jazz, opera and acting, prepare for a wild ride through some mood-altering (musical) states!

~ Roza Herwig (mezzo-soprano) & Craig White (piano) ~

Join us in the wood-panelled Music Room at Burgh House - a Grade-1 listed 1704 house, museum and art gallery in the heart of Hampstead

Tickets: £35/25/10 in advance. Vermeer Season Pass available

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a short interval)

Programme

A. Piazzolla (1921-1992) - Yo soy Maria from the Tango opera María de Buenos Aires

A.Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Gemo in un punto e fremo from the opera L’Olimpiade

G. Mahler (1860-1911)- Rheinlegendchen & Lob des Hohen Verstands from Des Knaben Wunderhorn

P.I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Amid the Din of the Ball

C. Debussy (1862-1918) - La Chevelure from Trois Chansons de Bilitis

W. Bolcom (1938*)- Toothbrush Time from Cabaret Songs, Volume 1

C. Debussy (1862-1918) - Bruyères & Ondine from Preludes II

K. Weill (1900-1950) - I’m a Stranger Here Myself from the musical One Touch of Venus

A.Askew Beach (1924-1997) - I wish you love

L. Berio (1925-2003) - Azerbaijan Love Song from Folksongs

—- Interval —-

J. Offenbach (1819-1880) - Ah quel diner! from the opera La Périchole

K. Weill (1900-1950) - Prolog from the opera Die Sieben Todsünden

S. Barber (1910-1981) - Solitary hotel from Despite & Still

G. Gershwin (1898-1937) - Someone to Watch Over Me from the musical Crazy for You

J. Brel (1929-1978) - Ne me quitte pas

C. Debussy (1862-1918) - La Puerta de Vino from Preludes II

C. Ives (1874-1854) - Memories: A. Very Pleasant B. Rather Sad

H. Van Veen (1945*) - Liefde van later

C. Porter (1891-1964) - It’s De-Lovely from the musical Anything Goes

K. Weill (1900-1950) - The Princess of Pure Delight from the musical Lady in the Dark

To celebrate International Women’s Day and Mothers’ Day, Dr. Leah Broad - author of Quartet: How Four Women changed the Musical World - joins three award-winning musicians to guide us through an illuminating programme of works by trail-blazing female composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Discover and celebrate the lives and works of these inspirational women who forged new paths to shape the future of classical music.

~ Dr. Leah Broad (presenter), Robin Green (piano), Sijie Chen (violin) & Leo Popplewell (‘cello) ~

Join us in the Portrait Gallery of the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury, with its fine Georgian interior. Tickets include free after-hours entry to the museum from one hour prior to the concert. The Foundling Museum tells the story of the UK’s first children’s charity, and houses the UK’s oldest public art gallery

Tickets: £38/28/10 in advance. Vermeer Season Pass available

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a short interval)

Programme

Ethel Smyth - Piano Trio in d minor, I. Allegro non troppo

Clara Schumann - Piano Trio op.17 in g minor, III. Andante

Rebecca Clarke - Violin Sonata, I. Allegro comodo

---Interval---

Rebecca Clarke - I'll Bid my Heart be Still (cello & piano)

Avril Coleridge-Taylor - Who Knows? (cello & piano)

Doreen Carwithen - Violin Sonata, III. Moderato

Mel Bonis - Soir, op.76 (piano trio)

Ethel Smyth - Piano Trio in d minor, IV. Allegro vivace

An indulgently romantic programme, featuring the Romances by Clara and Robert Schumann, three evocative pieces by Huw Watkins and the sublime violin sonata in G by Brahms. The connecting strands are works dedicated to Clara by Brahms and Mendelssohn.

~ Huw Watkins (piano) & Sijie Chen (violin) ~

Tickets: £45 including drinks. Vermeer Season Pass available. Tickets for this concert are strictly limited and must be booked in advance.

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a short interval)

Programme

Robert Schumann - Romances op.94

Huw Watkins - Coruscation & Reflection

Clara Schumann - Romances op.22

interspersed by

Felix Mendelssohn - Song without Words, op. 62 no.6 'Frühlingslied'

and

Johannes Brahms - Intermezzo in Eb, op.117 no.1

—-Interval—-

Huw Watkins - Arietta

Johannes Brahms - Sonata for piano and violin in G, op.78

The first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists, the Consone Quartet presents a dynamic programme charting the musical lineage of three groundbreaking composers - Beethoven, his teacher Haydn and his student Czerny.

~ The Consone Quartet ~

Join us in the wood-panelled Music Room at Burgh House - a Grade-1 listed 1704 house, museum and art gallery in the heart of Hampstead

Tickets: £35/25/10 in advance. Vermeer Season Pass available

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a short interval)

Programme

Joseph Haydn - String Quartet no.53 in D ‘Lark’

Ludwig Beethoven - String Quartet no.11 in f minor ‘Serioso’

—- Interval —-

Carl Czerny - String Quartet in a minor