An orchestra for today

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Free entry, registration required

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260504 jane mitchell

As Artistic Director of Aurora Orchestra, Jane Mitchell has been thinking about what an orchestra can and should be for the past 20 years.  Aurora Orchestra has pioneered collaborative work across art forms, memorised performances, new training programmes for players and a programme of work for schools that provides a pathway for children aged 3 - 18 and enables teachers to embed orchestral music in the classroom. 

In this session Jane will explore what it takes to create and sustain an orchestra  - the roles that are needed and how Aurora responds to an ever-changing world to ensure that the creative programme thrives and audiences fill the concert halls. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion on a wide range of topics and also a chance to take a look in detail at Aurora's approach to transforming classical repertoire for different audiences.  As part of this Jane will be working with a small group of students to present scenes from Beethoven and the Dinosaurs, one of Aurora's flagship productions for young children. 

<speaks> | Tomomi Adachi

Adachi will talk about his wide-ranging practice spanning music, poetry and visual art. Topics will include human voice, composition, improvisation, performance technique (and its absence), site-specific work, technology and artificial intelligence. The talk may also include a short performance designed for the online format.

Brother Tree Sound

A journey through British folk music.

The Chamber Concerts: Beethoven with the Neruda Quartet I

2026 Tillett Debut Artists the Neruda Quartet perform string quartets by Mozart and Beethoven.

Phantom Melodies and Tangerine Trees: A voyage through the psychedelic musical experience

Using musical illusions, perceptual experiments and examples from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Tchaikovsky, Steve Reich and beyond, Prof. Milton Mermikides explores how music can evoke altered perceptions of time and self, the blending of senses and moments of transcendence, and why music relies on the very same perceptual mechanisms for its extraordinary power.

Migration, Performance & Policy seminar

From Photos to Forensics: Borders and Fatalities in Calais, Italy, and the Mediterranean Sea

Book launch - ‘The Networked Court: Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Late Medieval Court Cultures’

Presentations by editor Karl Kügle and authors Jane Gilbert, Christophe Masson, and Helen Swift