Guildhall School of Music & Drama announces its Spring 2026 Season
Spring Season 2026
This Spring, Guildhall School of Music & Drama presents a vibrant and wide-ranging programme of events for the public to enjoy, including concerts, drama productions, opera and jazz.
Highlights include:
- Vibrance, a new immersive free festival in the heart of the City of London, brings life to ancient monuments with light, sound and live performance
- A new production of Benjamin Britten’s opera Owen Wingrave
- Adaptations of Gorky’s Children of the Sun and Gogol’s Government Inspector
- Guildhall Big Band performing with alumna and critically acclaimed jazz singer Zara McFarlane
- Chamber music performed by three outstanding Guildhall artists in London ahead of their concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall
- A collaborative performance with the band Snowpoet featuring new orchestrations for the Guildhall Studio Orchestra
- Guildhall Symphony Orchestra performs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, alongside works by Julian Anderson and Prokofiev, under the baton of Kerem Hasan
Details of the Spring Season’s events can be found below.
Immersive Experience
29 & 30 January, 5.30–8.30pm, City of London
For two nights only, Vibrance transforms the City of London to offer unforgettable encounters with light, sound and live performance, as historic landmarks, hidden gardens and striking façades are reimagined with colour, music and storytelling. Across a dozen artworks in five locations in the Culture Mile area, the festival explores the dialogue between ancient and modern – from Roman ruins to medieval churches, historic buildings to contemporary towers – illuminated and transformed with layers of memory, voice and digital energy.
As you wander through the City, whether heading home from work, exploring with family, or starting a night out, you might stumble upon an opera performance, lose yourself in an atmospheric soundscape, or see ancient ruins illuminated in ways you’ve never experienced before. Created by Guildhall Production Studio, the award-winning team behind Beasts of London, Vibrance brings together bold new artworks and live performances by emerging artists from Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Music
Guildhall Artists in New York (London Preview)
Friday 16 January, 6pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall School’s 2025 Gold Medal winner soprano Seohyun Go, clarinettist Kosuke Shirai and pianist Chloé Dumoulin present the London preview of a recital which they’ll perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall the following week. The programme features Liszt’s Les jeux d’eau à la Villa D’Este and Oh! Quand je dors, evocative soundscapes in Respighi’s I fauni, Deità Silvane and Poulenc’s Sonata for clarinet and piano, as well as the world premiere of a new work by Guildhall composer and librettist Mary Offer and Sophia Trewick.
A Celebration of the Life and Work of David Miller
Tuesday 27 January, 7pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall musicians and alumni pay tribute to the life and work of former Guildhall School Historical Performance tutor, David Miller, who passed away in 2025. David left a lasting legacy at the School, with many of his students enjoying successful careers, including some now teaching at Guildhall themselves. A widely celebrated player of lute, theorbo and early guitars, David performed with the UK’s leading period instrument ensembles, and appeared on acclaimed recordings with artists including soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and violinist Rachel Podger. The evening will pay tribute to David’s musicianship and his enduring influence on Guildhall musicians.
Wednesday 11 March, 7pm, Barbican Hall
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra presents a programme of 20th-century orchestral works exploring magic, myth and elemental power. Julian Anderson’s Incantesimi opens the concert with its luminous orchestral colours, conducted by Guildhall Masters student Antoine Veillerette. Guest conductor Kerem Hasan then takes to the podium for Prokofiev’s vivid scenes from Romeo and Juliet, brimming with energy and emotion. This is followed by two landmark ballet scores by Russian composers: Prokofiev’s vividly drawn scenes from Romeo and Juliet and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Sunday 15 March, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
London-based choir Eclectic Voices and conductor Scott Stroman celebrate their 35th anniversary in the company of three of their favourite collaborators: pianists Robert Levin and David Dolan and soprano Dame Emma Kirkby. Dolan, Head of Guildhall School’s Centre for Creative Performance & Classical Improvisation, performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto K414 with improvised repeats and cadenzas, before joining Levin for a presentation on classical improvisation and the creation of the extended fantasy-cadenza that opens Beethoven’s Fantasia in C minor for piano, choir and orchestra. The work is then performed by Kirkby and Guildhall soloists Marianne Ruel, Samuel Horton and Redmond Sanders, before the programme concludes with Mozart’s glorious Coronation Mass K317.
Drama
9–14 February, Milton Court Theatre
Amid the failed Russian Revolution of 1905, Gorky’s darkly comic masterpiece captures a society on the brink. In a cluttered household of thinkers and schemers, the new middle class fantasise, philosophise and argue – oblivious to the storm of change about to engulf them. Andrew Upton’s celebrated adaptation premiered at the National Theatre in 2013, and is reimagined by director Vik Sivalingam and designer Vicky Sweatman in this new production for Guildhall School.
20–25 March, Silk Street Theatre
The news that a government inspector is on his way throws a small Russian town into chaos, as its corrupt officials scramble to cover their tracks. A simple case of mistaken identity spirals into farce, exposing vanity, hypocrisy and greed in this razor-sharp satire from the grandfather of Ukrainian drama. David Harrower’s acclaimed version of The Government Inspector premiered at Warwick Arts Centre before transferring to the Young Vic, London. It is staged in this new production at Guildhall School, directed by Gemma Brockis and designed by Charlotte Espiner.
Opera
23, 25, 27 February & 2 March, 7pm, Silk Street Theatre
Britten’s haunting opera Owen Wingrave returns to the stage in a powerful new Guildhall School production directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans and conducted by Dominic Wheeler. Based on a ghost story by Henry James, it follows a young pacifist who defies his family’s military heritage, with tragic consequences. Written originally for television, Britten’s score fuses intimacy and drama in a compelling exploration of courage, conscience and the cost of defiance.
Jazz
Wednesday 11 February, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
In this concert, Guildhall Big Band and acclaimed soloist Zara McFarlane chart a journey through the cosmos of big band vocal repertoire. Guided by the expert insights of Kevin Le Gendre, the Guildhall Big Band pays homage to the originators, assimilators and innovators of the craft, including Louis Armstrong, Ivie Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter.
Friday 13 February, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra welcomes saxophonist and composer Julian Siegel for an evening featuring music from his celebrated album Tales from the Jacquard (Whirlwind Recordings).
Commissioned by Derby Jazz and inspired by the intricate patterns of Jacquard weaving, Siegel’s music combines rhythmic complexity and lyricism in equal measure. The programme also includes further original compositions and arrangements by Siegel for jazz orchestra.
Thursday 19 March, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra continues its Modern Masters series with a concert dedicated to the inventive spirit of Bob Brookmeyer – legendary trombonist, composer and educator. Brookmeyer’s music bridges jazz lyricism and modernist complexity, blending emotional depth and daring harmonies. The programme celebrates his legacy through a selection of his most distinctive compositions and arrangements for large ensemble.
Tuesday 24 March, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Thelonious Monk’s impact on the world of jazz cannot be overstated. A genius composer and pianist, Monk gifted us contributions to the jazz standard repertoire including ’Round Midnight, Blue Monk, Straight, No Chaser, Ruby, My Dear, In Walked Bud and Well, You Needn't. An innovative and often misunderstood voice – in this concert we bring Monk’s music to the big band canvas. Join Guildhall Big Band and their director Matt Skelton for a trip into Monk’s sphere.
Thursday 26 March, 7pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Jazz Voices features performances by the Guildhall Jazz Singers, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Choir, directed by Scott Stroman, Clare Wheeler and Flora Medlicott. The concert showcases the vocal talent within the Jazz department through an inspiring mix of classic arrangements and new work.
Friday 27 March, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall Studio Ensemble collaborates with Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson – the creative duo behind the acclaimed project Snowpoet – for an evening of expansive, reimagined works for large ensemble. Blending jazz, electronica and poetic lyricism, Snowpoet’s sound world is intimate yet cinematic. Kinsella and Hyson continue to solidify their position as one of the most innovative and emotionally resonant bands in the UK’s jazz-adjacent and electronic-acoustic crossover scene. This concert revisits music from across Snowpoet’s albums, including the latest release Heartstrings, in new orchestrations created especially for Guildhall musicians, directed in this performance by Colm O’Hara.
Children and Young People
London Schools Symphony Orchestra
Monday 12 January, 7.30pm, Barbican Hall
The London Schools Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Lynch, presents a programme combining contemporary London and 20th-century classics. Nigerian-Scottish trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo performs Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto, before the orchestra presents selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and premieres four newly commissioned works collectively titled This is London by composers from across four London conservatoires.
Saturday 21 March, 5.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Junior Guildhall’s Brass Band and Wind Ensemble, conducted by Spencer Down, present a vibrant evening of music with a varied programme for a wide range of forces.
Saturday 28 March, 6pm, Milton Court Concert Hall
Junior Guildhall’s outstanding young musicians present a programme of British and Irish music conducted by Julian Clayton. From Ireland’s lyrical A Downland Suite to Carwithen’s striking Overture to One Damn Thing After Another, this programme celebrates imagination and individuality across generations. Opening with Trimble’s Suite for Strings and Lucy Armstrong’s Devil’s Snuff Box, the programme concludes with the power of Malcolm Arnold’s Symphony No 5 – a fitting finale to a concert bursting with colour, character and artistry.
Free events
Guildhall’s free Masterclass series continues with visiting artists: the celebrated bel canto soprano Sumi Jo, violist Caroline Henbest, pianists Katsunori Ishii, Inna Faliks and Imogen Cooper, saxophonist Chris “Snake” Davis, harpist Stephen Fitzpatrick, and pianist and classical improvisation specialist Robert Levin. Masterclasses offer a unique opportunity to drop in at any point and witness outstanding Guildhall musicians being coached by renowned performers. Whether attending a full session or just dropping in for a short while, audiences can experience world-class music-making in action as emerging artists refine their craft under expert guidance.
Alongside these masterclasses, the season features a wide range of free concerts and series, including Chamber at Six, Strings at Six, Songs at Six and the School’s popular ‘at Eight’ performances such as Keyboard at Eight, Electronics at Eight and Chamber at Eight. Ensembles including the Guildhall Baroque Orchestra, Guildhall Saxophone Ensemble and Ubu Ensemble also take to the stage, alongside annual competitions and showcases. Open to all and unticketed, these events offer a free way to experience Guildhall’s vibrant musical community up close.
Visit gsmd.ac.uk/events for full listings.
Priority booking for Guildhall Patrons & Circle members opens Tuesday 25 November
General booking opens Tuesday 2 December