This is London Magazine April Edition 2026 - Flipbook - Page 22
22
MONTEVERDI CHOIR PRESENTS
OPERA BENEATH CUTTY SARK
The Monteverdi Choir and English
Baroque Soloists are to present a new
production of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas,
combining music, movement and
staging beneath the hull of Cutty Sark
this May.
Directed by Andrew Staples and
conducted by Jonathan Sells, this
atmospheric setting places Purcell’s
tragic love story within the dramatic
drydock setting of the world’s last
surviving tea clipper.
Moored in Greenwich – where
Monteverdi often give concerts in the
historic spaces of the Old Royal Naval
College – Cutty Sark is a celebrated icon
of Britain’s maritime heritage. Its
remarkable architecture and resonant
acoustics provide a striking backdrop for
Purcell’s tale of love, destiny and
abandonment. The 19th century vessel,
suspended above the audience and
stage, creates a magnificent space
beneath its hull – an evocative setting
for a drama shaped by the sea.
Under the baton of Jonathan Sells,
the concert will harness the space’s
distinctive acoustics and visual drama to
reimagine Purcell’s operatic masterpiece
in a production that immerses audiences
in the emotional heart of the story.
Director Andrew Staples says: ‘Cutty
Sark offers a setting where Purcell’s
world will feel astonishingly close.
Beneath its suspended hull, the tensions
at the heart of Dido & Aeneas - love and
duty, arrival and departure, hope and
loss – will gain a new immediacy. We
hope to draw the audience into that
emotional tide, allowing the space itself
to become part of the storytelling.’
The production also weaves in
Purcell’s Funeral Sentences, written for
the funeral of Queen Mary – founder of
the Royal Hospital for Seamen on the
very ground of today’s Old Royal Naval
College, just a stone’s throw from Cutty
Sark – placing the drama firmly within
the historic heart of Greenwich.
Tickets for both performances include
early entry to explore the ship.
BANK OF AMERICA TOURING
PARTNER OF THE ROYAL BALLET
A major new partnership for 2026
sees Bank of America as the Official
Touring Partner of The Royal Ballet. This
collaboration will support The Royal
Ballet’s international touring programme,
enabling the Company to share its
world-class artistry with audiences
across the globe.
The 2026 Tour includes performances
at Esplanade, Singapore (26-28 June),
Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée
at Lilia Hall, Tokyo (3-5 July) and Peter
Wright’s hallmark production of Giselle
at NHK Hall (10-12 July), Tokyo.
This first-of-its-kind partnership
between Bank of America and a leading
European dance company demonstrates
how public and private investment in the
performing arts can promote crosscultural dialogue and strengthen
bonds across communities.
RISING STARS PLAY CONCERTS AT
LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM
Top talent from some of London’s
most prestigious music schools will
perform in London Transport Museum’s
main gallery during opening hours
throughout 2026, providing an
unexpected addition to the visitor
experience that should surprise and
delight. Young classical and jazz
undergraduate and postgrad musicians
from the Royal Academy of Music, Royal
College of Music and Trinity Laban will
give solo or duo ensemble performances
on term-time Fridays against the unique
backdrop of the Museum’s collection of
historic London buses, Tube trains and
trams. The performers, who each
auditioned to earn their spot in the
programme, represent a range of styles
and instruments and include a harpist,
violinist, pianist, double bassist,
soprano, saxophonist, accordionist,
cellist and guitarist.
The ‘Music in the Museum’ daytime
recital series, now in its second year but
with a brand-new cohort of young
musicians at its helm, is part of the
Museum’s ‘Transported by Culture’
initiative that aims to celebrate and
support the arts in London by bringing
more art, music and theatre
programming to its visitors.
Inspired by the Museum’s unique
location in the heart of Covent Garden
and the West End, the music programme
has been designed to offer visitors a
joyful and unexpected cultural
experience while supporting talented
young musicians at the start of their
careers with paid performance
opportunities.
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
