A series of “low stimulus” concerts for neurodivergent audiences are at the forefront of this year’s Wigmore Hall programme. The performances, for those who prefer a quieter environment, will feature natural lighting and minimal announcements, while noisy devices such as the hand dryers in the toilets will be switched off and audience members will be free to leave and re-enter the venue. Classical guitarists Miyabi Duo will play the first concert in the series, performing music by Enrique Granados, Sylvia Lim and premièring a new piece by Electra Perivolaris. Two more events are set to be revealed.
This trio of shows are part of over 500 concerts announced for the Wigmore’s 2023/24 season, making it the largest programme of classical music concerts in the UK. Among the impressive 28 world and UK premieres on the bill are four compositions commissioned by the Wigmore Hall’s Voices of Today, a programme launched during the coronavirus pandemic to support new composers. The scheme will open with a world première of Mending Walls by Canadian pianist-composer Stewart Goodyear.
In what appears to be a strong drive towards inclusivity, a new £1 ticket scheme will be launched to help families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. John Gilhooly, Wigmore Hall’s artistic and executive director, said: “Recent news has cast a long shadow over the future and wellbeing of classical music in the UK. We will be re-doubling our efforts to introduce classical music to young people from the earliest possible age. We hope our new £1 ticket scheme will be a signal to parents and teachers that it is never too early to start a child’s musical education.”
This year’s bill includes 2,500 artists performing music from the past six centuries. Leading pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss perform works by Schubert together during the opening week, while Paul Lewis performs with the Vertavo String Quartet and Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian makes her Wigmore Hall debut. Elsewhere in the programme, the focus will be on Australian composer Brett Dean and British composers Laurence Osborn and Joseph Phibbs, while artists in residence include pianist Jeremy Denk, violinist Veronika Eberle, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, soprano Louise Alder, 12 Ensemble, Apartment House and Trio Gaspard. New international partnerships will also be celebrated, with a “Wigmore Hall festival” opening the Whyte Recital Hall at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, and a French Song Exchange in collaboration with Paris’s Salle Cortot.
Among the leading artists returning to Wigmore Hall this season are Joshua Bell, Richard Goode, Sir András Schiff, Ian Bostridge, Dame Sarah Connolly, the BBC Singers, Nitin Sawhney and the Takács Quartet. Rebeca Omordia also returns with the African Concert Series, exploring music in the classical tradition emanating from the continent or by its expatriate musicians.
For those unable to get to a live performance, the lunchtime concerts will be streamed every Monday at 1pm on BBC Radio 3.
