Pre-Concert Performance: Guildhall Flutes

Vermont Counterpoint was the first of Steve Reich’s four ‘Counterpoint’ pieces, each originally scored for a live instrument (flute, clarinet, electric guitar and cello), accompanied by a multitrack tape on which the soloist has separately recorded multiple simultaneous strands (to create ‘counterpoint’). In each case, the tape part can be replaced – as it is in tonight’s performance – by multiple live instrumentalists. Other members of the flute family – the piccolo and alto flute – are also included, creating a wide range of pitch from high to low. A key piece of minimalism, all the parts are interlocking variants of each other, a tiny shift in one soon radiating across the whole texture, like a touch applied to the slab on a potter’s wheel.

Hania Woźniak flute

_{Note by Edward Bhesania}

Ian Clarke is a professor of flute at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama whose wide influences include American vocalist/improviser Bobby McFerrin, German avant-gardist Karlheinz Stockhausen and British rock flautist Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. Clarke’s Spells could hardly be more of a contrast to Reich’s ordered, process-driven music that we’ve just heard. Here we enter an ephemeral, supernatural world of whooshing, fluttering and trembling – using not only the bass flute (with its proud U-shaped head joint) but also a range of blowing and note-stopping techniques to produce an imaginative range of pitchless, almost percussive effects. The title Spells, Clarke says, ‘is a gateway or clue to many possible underlying imaginative worlds of the piece’.

Cyrus Lam flute 1
Rachel Howie flute 2
Jessie-May Wilson piccolo and flute
Molly Gribbon alto flute
Alex Ho bass flute

_{Note by Edward Bhesania}

Gareth McLearnon is a former student of Ian Clarke’s and now another mover and shaker in the flute world. Seconds on State Street is his 15th composition for flute ensemble and was written for the Chicago Flute Club, which gave its world premiere only this week. The title refers to Chicago’s status as America’s ‘second city’ as well as to one of its main streets. ‘I loved the idea of 'Seconds’', says McLearnon, ‘as we have 'second city', we have 'Going back for seconds' as something is so delicious, and, of course, we have the interval in music – the major second'. The piece is literally built out of the city, since the opening groove strings together the rhythmic cells for the morse code (long/short) patterns spelling C-H-I-C-A-G-O. Like Ian Clarke’s Spells, the piece adopts a number of playing techniques, including a percussive hi-hat sound and one that McLearnon calls ‘the windy city effect’.

Justyna Szynkarczyk flute 1
Melisse Markesteijn flute 1
Laura Jastrzębska flute 2
Matilda Allard flute 2
Kiera Exall flute 3
Kendra Barron flute 3
Laoise Corrigan flute 4
Laima Buineviciute flute 4
Belle Brunson alto flute 1
Emily Moores alto flute 2
Lara Ali bass flute 1
Daniel Pengelly bass flute 2
Louis Mintrim contrabass flute

_{Note by Edward Bhesania}

Soundhub Showcase
Wednesday 22 April 7pm

Join us for an evening of cutting-edge contemporary music with four world premieres from our LSO Soundhub 2025/26 Members.

Free Friday Lunchtime Concert
Friday 24 April 12.30pm

Looking to make lunchtime musical? Try a bite-size, informal concert, performed by a string quartet of LSO members playing music by Haydn, Schoenberg and Jessie Montgomery. Friendly introductions from presenter Rachel Leach will guide you through the concert, introducing you to the music and instruments. And if you’re left with burning questions, you can ask them during a Q+A session with the performers.

LSO St Luke's Open Morning
Saturday 9 May 10am

Join us for a morning of free performances, workshops and refreshments. Everyone is invited!

Ubu Ensemble: Ubu at the Movies
Thursday 26 March 7pm

The boundary-pushing Ubu Ensemble, directed by Simon Wills, turns its lens to the world of cinema in a thrilling exploration of film-inspired sound. 

Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Friday 8 May 6pm

Directed by Beth Randell and Fraser MacAulay, the Symphonic Wind Orchestra presents a programme for wind, brass and percussion featuring music by John Adams, Erika Svanoe and Fyges Hydas. 

Guildhall Flutes Piccolo Concert
Friday 26 June 1pm

Directed by Sarah Newbold, this concert celebrates the brilliance and versatility of the piccolo. Guildhall woodwind students present a vibrant programme showcasing the instrument’s distinctive character across a range of repertoire.