Following the acclaim and success of its previous seasons’ since opening in March 2022, Liverpool’s state-of-the-art concert hall, The Tung Auditorium, embarks on its third year as a world-class venue, announcing another eclectic season of live music taking place throughout Autumn and Winter.
The upcoming programme is packed with a spectacular array of genres and exceptional live performers, ranging through classical, jazz, electric-folk, pop, acoustic and experimental music. From September – December 2024, the venue will showcase a fantastic mix of both new artists and returning favourites for its highly anticipated season of live music.
The opening shows of the season will see The Tung Auditorium collaborate with BlackFest, presenting a varied blend of classical music and jazz. BBC Young Musician of the Year finalist, Elodie Chousmer-Howelles will open this year’s proceedings, alongside Stella Marie Lorenz, as part of the popular free lunchtime concert series. They will be performing a variation of works for violin and piano by Beethoven, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Amy Beach. British Jazz legend, Courtney Pine, will then follow, returning to the Tung in celebration of his 60th birthday. Courtney will bring together musicians from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe for a vibrant and exhilarating evening of merengue, ska, mento and calypso.
Partnering with Milap for a third year, The Tung Auditorium will host two shows of their autumn season of Indian music, including world-renowned maestro of the veena, Rajhesh Vaidhya, whose unique style has earned him critical acclaim. Spotlighting classical north Indian Hindustani music, Milap will also bring the captivating vocals of Dr. Vijay Rajput for a meditative afternoon raga concert of classical, folk and Bandish compositions.
A plethora of international artists are represented in this upcoming season, including some of Ireland’s finest voices Iarla Ó Lionáird and Cara Dillon. Looking a little further afield, Senegalese Afro-pop sensation Seckou Keita and band visit in November, as well as a phenomenal collaboration between Manchester Collective and South African cellist Abel Selaocoe.
Showcasing artists with local roots, The Tung Auditorium will also host some very special homecoming shows this Autumn. Liverpool-born singer-songwriter and award-winning Americana artist Robert Vincent makes his venue debut to celebrate the release of his fourth album in December, whilst mesmeric, minimalist noise artists Ex-Easter Island Head take to the Tung stage in November, with specially invited guests from the UK’s experimental underground scene. Both Visions of Albion and Dorothy Bird will also visit the auditorium for the first time in their respective debut Lunchtime concert appearances.
The start of the season sees the return of the ever popular free Lunchtime Concert Series. If you’re unaware of the artists, programme or even the genre, The Tung Auditorium invite you to take a risk and explore new live music that you might not have ever considered going to before. Frequently cited as the highlight of the week for Tung audiences, this year’s roster appears to live up to its reputation with a broad variety of genres including jazz, classical, electric-folk, Indian ragas, choral music and more.
The Tung Auditorium’s longstanding partnership with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra continues, following sold-out concerts this summer, with two performances of Serenades, conducted by Domingo Hindoyan. The orchestra will also collaborate with sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun in October, plus Kathryn Stott playing some of her favourite pieces in her final ever recital, in December.
Other classical ensemble highlights include the return of La Serenissima, who will be bringing their energetic interpretations of Vivaldi and his contemporaries back to the venue, and “one of the greatest string quartets of our day” (Boston Globe), the Chilingirian Quartet with a programme including Mozart, Haydn and Borodin.
As the season enters its festive period, The Tung Auditorium will be celebrating throughout December with their annual Christmas concerts from the talented University of Liverpool students (LUMS and the Symphony Orchestra), and the return of a number of popular ensembles with special seasonal shows, including Allerton Brass, Dr Jazz and the Cheshire Cats, Liverpool Welsh Choral, and the Danny Miller Big Band.
