ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 

A London Vignette
Heavenly Harmonies and Bite Sized Baroque on Trafalgar Square

A London landmark familiar to travelers world-wide, St Martin-in-the-Fields, a true parish church, is also one of the busiest music venues in Britain.   With superb acoustics, intimate surroundings and outstanding musicians, St. Martin’s attracts visitors world wide to over 350 concerts a year. 

Lunchtime Concerts
St Martin's has a commitment to discovering, nurturing and promoting new talent and for over fifty years the Lunchtime Concert Series has given opportunities to young musicians to perform in a professional environment in central London to an appreciative audience. Concerts feature an extraordinarily wide range of performers and repertoire. Entry is free, however, for those able to give, a suggested donation of £3.50 is greatly appreciated to help fund all aspects of the work at St Martin's.

Concerts by Candlelight
This series enjoys a special appeal to a global audience.  Here again, the attraction is the exceptional ambiance of St. Martin's where the quietude of this early 18th century atmosphere is cloaked in melodies produced by gifted musicians. Concerts take place on Tuesdays and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm and include Early and Baroque Music, chamber and world music, song and piano recitals

Bite-sized Baroque
This March saw the third concert in the "Bite-Sized Baroque Series".   The series continues on the last Tuesday of the month until April where London's best musicians will serve a digestible chunk of music from the undiscovered byways of the Baroque repertoire in the magnificent splendour of St Martin's. The concert starts at 6.30pm, lasts one hour and is specifically designed to offer commuters a musical respite after a hard day at work or for visitors to London, a pre-dinner concert.  Immediately following the performance, concert goers will have the opportunity to meet the musicians and enjoy a delicious meal in the award winning Café in the Crypt.

Please select a month/link to view concerts for that month:

April 2006 » »

May 2006 »

June 2006 »

Or, follow this link to a full concert schedule »

Jazz Nights

Enjoy a unique and fabulous fusion of great jazz, food and drink all served-up in an historic location - the Café in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Twice a month, jazz bands rock the beautiful 18th century brick-vaulted crypt, as people enjoy the great-value and freshly-prepared hot and cold food on offer from the award-winning café.

Some 2006 Jazz Night Listings . . .

Jonny Boston Quartet
You’ll be wooed by the live performance of this award-winning sax and vocal lead quartet. With organ guitar and drums, the Jonny Boston Quartet brings the heart of the London Jazz scene to the Café in the Crypt    April 5th and June 28th

TJ Johnson’s Bourbon Kick
The real New Orleans ‘Jazz Band of the Year’ brings well-known Dixieland standards to traditional and younger jazz audiences alike. Critics have hailed them as ‘energetic’, ‘lively’, and ‘electric’, and have credited them with ‘creating a buzz for this type of jazz music that has not been seen for years’.  April 19th

Kocoa Brown
With a voice as lush as Sarah Vaughan’s, as sassy as Dinah Washington’s and a smoky, soulful something that is entirely hers, Kocoa Brown breathes new life into classic 50s and 60s jazz. Well-known on London’s jazz and soul-funk circuits she has put together an incredible set with pianist and songwriter Alex Webb.  May 3rd

Morley College Big Band
When this 20+ band are in full swing you’ll feel transported back in time.  Featuring the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Hermann, Benny Goodman and other traditional Big Band greats.   May 17th

The Fabulations
This new London-based band features seasoned musicians and the outstanding vocal talents of Marion J. Don’t miss this evening filled with rich vocals, classic tunes, toe-tapping swing and Latin and contemporary Jazz.   May 31st

Diplomacy
An original mix of jazz, soul, blues, funk and afro-jazz, Diplomacy will get your heart beating, your fingers snapping and your spirits soaring.  June 14th

London Chamber Music Festival  June 6 – 92006
This June, St Martin-in-the-Fields presents the London Chamber Music Festival.  From Tuesday 6 June to Friday 9 June the intimate candlelit setting of St Martin’s will provide the backdrop for performances of some of the most popular works from the chamber music repertoire.

On Tuesday 6 June at 7.30pm pianist Bobby Chen will perform a virtuoso programme including Chopin’s Etudes and Nocturnes, Liszt’s Ballade No 2 and Beethoven’s beautiful Moonlight Sonata:

On Thursday 8 June at 7.30pm the Sinistri Quartet performs a programme of romantic masterpieces from the string quartet repertoire including Dvorak’s folk-influenced American Quartet and Schubert’s dark and brooding Death and the Maiden:

The festival comes to a close on Friday 9 June at 7.30pm when London Concertante String Sextet performs Tchaikovsky’s dramatic and romantic Souvenir de Florence with Brahms’ Sextet No 2 and Strauss Prelude to Capriccio:

In the Crypt of St Martin's 18th Century church is an atmospheric, vibrant and good-value assisted counter service Café.  Here is what the experts at Les Routiers think about Café in the Crypt.   "Its brilliant location, just a step away from Trafalgar Square and the theatre district, make this terrific-value café a welcome escape from the West End's crowds."

This landmark church crypt with its brick-vaulted ceilings, pillars and gravestones on the floor make for a dramatic and airy setting. It's the ideal stop-off for a quick, inexpensive meal pre or post theatre. The extensive self-service offers an appealing array of pick-and-mix salads, soup and daily-changing meat and fish dishes.

For further information about St. Martin in the Fields please use this link