20 highlights of 2020
Live music has undoubtedly taken a hit this year, with much of London’s world-class classical scene out-of-action.
However, we’ve also seen some real gems shining through in the hardest of times. When through the noise launched at the end of August, we aimed to highlight the capital’s finest affordable classical music.
It sounded mad at the time to start promoting live music in the middle of a pandemic, but London’s musicians and venues delivered. Here are our highlights of the past few months:
1. Music at the Tower
from 20 June
Mary Bevan MBE, Will Thomas & Jonny Byers brought live music back to London post-lockdown with their outdoor series in Hornsey, raising money for Help Musicians UK.
2. N4 Doorstep Concerts
from 23 June
Four Finsbury Park musicians launched a series literally on their doorstep, to build on the sense of community in the local area.
Ostara Chamber Players will be back in 2021 for a season at Park Theatre.
4. Tête à Tête
from 26 July
The festival’s opening night was the first opera performance in a theatre to a live audience post-lockdown, and they didn’t look back.
On top of a successful five-month season, the festival’s artistic director was awarded a BEM for services to opera and diversity.
5. Bold Tendencies
from 8 August
Peckham’s former multi-storey car park had the perfect summer solution for socially-distanced concerts in their semi-outdoor non-refurbished concert space.
6. Handel & Hendrix
from 22 August
The tucked-away Mayfair museum opened its doors on 22 August, before hosting some fantastic free outdoor live events in neighbouring Grovesnor Square.
7. Lunchtime Classicals
from 26 August
City of London Sinfonia presented pop-up weekly free performances in Canary Wharf from August to October, featuring some outstanding musicians.
8. Bandstand Chamber Festival
1-15 September
Four of the UK’s finest string quartets came to Battersea Park for Love Parks Wandsworth’s campaign of free performances, which encouraged residents to enjoy their local greenspace.
9. Aurora Orchestra
from 7 September
Beethoven’s captivating seventh symphony featured in London’s first live orchestral performance with an audience, as part of Kings Place’s outdoor season under West Handyside Canopy.
10. Chamber Music Wednesdays
from 9 September
Artisti con Brio kicked off their residency in the gallery space of Candid Arts Trust’s converted Victorian warehouse in September, with the final event rescheduled to 2021.
11. Cinema on the Piazza
11-13 September
Whilst not strictly a live event, the Royal Opera House held London’s only free open-air cinema of the summer - and it did lead to a few fantastic performances inside the Covent Garden powerhouse before Tier 3 got in the way.
12. Classical PopUps
from 11 September
Beckenham Place Park saw the launch of P£RFORM - a campaign to put on great events in the community and help out musicians in the process.
13. Wigmore Hall
from 13 September
The first London concert hall to welcome audiences post-lockdown, this West End stalwart has been a visionary throughout the pandemic, with consistent sold-out performances - all streamed for free.
In typical forward-looking fashion, they have 36 events scheduled in January.
14. ENO Drive & Live
from 18 September
Forget drive-in cinema, English National Opera pioneered the world’s first drive-in opera at Alexandra Palace - staging a semi-immersive production of Puccini’s La Boheme.
15. LSO Local
25-27 September
Musicians of the London Symphony Orchestra put on over 20 free performances across two days in September - notably a partnership between the orchestra’s converted warehouse in Tottenham and Beavertown Brewery next-door.
2021 performances at the orchestra’s venue off Old Street commence on 15 January.
16. Ragged Music Festival
2-4 October
One of the most unique music festivals took place over the first weekend of October, in the unrenovated canalside top floor of what was once the largest free school in London.
17. Live from the Barbican
from 4 October
The first of London’s large concert halls / theatres to announce the return of live audiences post-lockdown started their season at the beginning of October.
18. Bishopsgate Institute
from 16 October
First created to raise morale during the Second World War, the free Friday concert series by one of the City of London’s cultural bastions returned when it was needed most once again.
19. Flux Ensemble
from 5 December
Secret London’s Candlelight Concerts series was one of the first to get back up-and-running after lockdown two.
The string quartet will return to Grand Junction in 2021 from 22 January.
20. Spotlight Chamber Concerts
from 7 December
The organisers of the summer-sensation Bandstand Chamber Festival announced a winter series in collaboration with St John’s Waterloo.
The final two events were interrupted by tier 3, and have been rescheduled to 2021.
For our pick of 2021 events, head here.
