Royal Albert Hall presents: An Evening with Alison Balsom - her first solo show at the Royal Albert Hall
25 July, 2013
13 OCTOBER 2014, Royal Albert Hall
Winner of three Classical BRIT Awards, trumpeter Alison Balsom is right at the top of her game and has performed to audiences around the world. Now the darling of the classical musical world performs at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 13 October 2014 for her first solo show at the London venue.
Alison has been credited with rejuvenating the classical music scene with her talent and versatility, making the trumpet far more accessible to audiences than it ever has been and being a positive role model for young performers looking to break into the industry. She won the 2006 Classical BRIT for Young British Performer and went on to win the 2009 and 2011 Classical BRIT for Female Artist of the Year, the first female British artist to do so. She was also the recipient of this year’s Nordoff Robbins Classical Award, testament to her incredible talent and popularity. 2013 has already seen Alison performing and starring in a new critically acclaimed theatrical production which takes the music of Purcell and Handel to a completely new London audience, debuting at Latitude Festival, being nominated for the prestigious Gramophone Awards 'Artist of the Year' and she hasn't even started rehearsing for her 2013 BBC Proms performances!
Alison Balsom's first appearance at the Hall came back in 1994 when she played in the trumpet section of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at the 100th season of the Proms. She has since delivered a number of acclaimed performances at the Hall, including as a guest soloist at the Last Night of the Proms in 2009 but this is Alison’s first solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall. She will perform music from her yet to be released forthcoming album with some of her favourite artists.
This special concert is presented by the Royal Albert Hall as part of their Albert Sessions series, providing accessible and diverse visitor experiences for as wide a range of music lovers as possible. As part of this, the Hall looks to provide opportunity in the arts as well as championing youth music and Alison will also be engaging with the Hall on education initiatives for young people within the venue as part of its extensive public benefit remit.
Alison Balsom said “I cannot wait to play my first solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall, a venue very special to my heart since I first saw a carol concert there with my family at the age of 6. The trumpet is a unique voice and it delights me when I can share with as many people as possible what I believe to be the eloquent and exuberant melodies that this incredible instrument can make. It will also be the perfect event to play my favourite, previously unheard tracks from my latest album to my long time loyal supporters. Alongside this, I very much welcome the chance to engage with the venue's education department to develop some initiatives that will allow me to share my experiences and hopefully inspire young performers to believe that through hard work, they too could be playing their first performance at the Hall in the near future”
Jasper Hope, Chief Operating Officer at the Hall, said “Alison is a virtuoso performer who captivates and inspires in equal measure whatever she plays and we are delighted to be able to announce her first solo concert on the world’s most famous stage in an Albert Session. Whether listening to Bach or Chet Baker in the Hall, the trumpet has an incredible sound here and I’m expecting Alison to blow the roof off.”
Alison Balsom is an exclusive Warner Classics artist and this year is celebrating 10 years of an award-winning recording career.
Notes to editor:
For more information, please contact Sean Carrigan on 020 7959 0531 or email seanc@royalalberthall.com.
Listings details:
An Evening with Alison Balsom at the Royal Albert Hall, Monday 13 October 2014, 8pm
Tickets: £15- £49.50 (plus booking fee)
Box Office: 020 7589 8212 or book online at www.royalalberthall.com
Tickets on sale Thursday 25th July 2013 at 9am
Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Its breathtaking auditorium hosts over 370 shows a year by the world’s greatest artists. The magical atmosphere combined with inspired artists creates legendary events.
Opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert’s vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Hall is a registered charity which operates without public funding, remaining true to his founding ambitions within a modern context. Extending the brand with 200 events outside the auditorium, the Hall has broadened its appeal to younger, diverse audiences whilst still engaging its existing customers.
The Hall also offers the Elgar Room, a state-of-the-art small-scale performance space which hosts performances of classical music, jazz and world music, comedy, dance and hush, a series of gigs for just signed bands throughout the year. In the main auditorium, it offers the Albert Sessions, an initiative that encourages up and coming acts to play at the Hall by offering reduced rental fees to promoters and lower ticket prices to encourage younger audiences to visit the Hall. It also works extensively with schools, young people, disadvantaged groups and partners such as Music For Youth through its Education programme, reaching over 100,000 participants each year as part of its extensive public benefit remit. It has also been appointed by the Arts Council as one of the country’s regional music education hubs.
For more information, please visit www.royalalberthall.com/www.facebook.com/royalalberthall/ http://life.royalalberthall.com
Registered charity number: 254543