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Activities
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LSO Friends in 2011/12
Each season, LSO Friends support an LSO concert at the Barbican, a range of LSO Discovery projects and also endow the chair of a Principal LSO musician. We also hold regular exclusive events for LSO Friends where you can meet the players and gain an insight into the workings of the Orchestra.
For the 2011/12 season, LSO Friends have supported the following range of projects:
LSO Concert
The LSO Friends supported the concert on Thursday 15th December with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting Beethoven's Choral Symphony alongside a host of vocal talent. After the concert we hosted backstage Christmas drinks (yes, with mince pies too!) with LSO players exclusively for LSO Friends.
LSO Discovery projects
This season the LSO Friends will be supporting the LSO String Experience Scheme, the First Monday Club and the LSO St Luke's Youth Choir.
Chair Endow
The LSO Friends Chair Endow for 2011/12 is Principal Percussionist, Neil Percy. Neil has been with the LSO for over twenty years, and is excited to have been named 2011/12 LSO Friends Chair Endow. Neil will be performing a special recital alongside acclaimed jazz pianist Nikki Iles, exclusively for the LSO Friends on 17 April.
LSO Friends 2011/12 Events
Take a look at our recent events for a flavour of what we offer LSO Friends, as well as what's still to come!
19 October 2011 - National Theatre tour
We made the trip over the Thames to the South Bank for a tour of the prestigious National Theatre.The NT has played host to some of the country's greatest actors and directors, and the tour gave LSO Friends an insight into this history whilst also revealing the Theatre at work today.
9 November 2011 - The LSO Then and Now
This was a unique chance to hear stories spanning successive generations of world-class British trombone playing, as our current Principal Trombone Dudley Bright was joined by past LSO trombone great Denis Wick. This was an exclusive chance for LSO Friends to pose questions to two of the LSO's longest serving principals while enjoying a glass of wine!
15 December 2011 - Christmas Drinks with LSO players
To celebrate the LSO Friends' support of the evening's concert, we held a post-concert drinks reception in the newly refurbished backstage area to celebrate a successful musical year together with LSO players and Friends.
9 March 2012 - Lunchtime Concert at St Martin in the Fields
What better way to spend a lunch hour than a concert in the beautiful surroundings of St Martin in the Fields? The Friends met beforehand in the Crypt Cafe for a drink and a chat, followed by a recital from the Italian tenor Marcelo Nardis.
22 March 2012 - Q&A with Nicola Benedetti
March saw the glamorous young violinist Nicola Benedetti performing four special concerts at LSO St Luke's as part of our BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert series, and after her performance on Thursday 22 she joined us for an exclusive Q&A session.
Coming up:
17 April 2012 - LSO Friends Chair Endow Recital with Principal Percussion Neil Percy
This annual event sees Neil Percy, our Chair Endow for the 2011/12 season perform exclusively for the Friends. With a pre-recital reception this is one of the highlights of the Friends' season and is the perfect opportunity to meet other Friends as well as some of the players that make the LSO so special.
14 June 2012, Barbican Architecture Tour
Home to the LSO for the thirty years it has been in existence, the story behind the Barbican’s distinctive design holds much that even the most regular LSO concert-goer may not know about! Through this private walking tour of the external high walks and inside the Barbican Centre itself, LSO Friends can discover the ideas, values and agendas that shaped the vision of this unique architectural endeavour.
2 July 2012, Tour of The London Library, St James's Square, SW1
Discover the world’s largest independent lending library, steeped in history and housing a fascinating and varied collection. Amassed over many generations, the Library’s collections now include over one million volumes on 15 miles of open shelving, with books dating from the 16th to the 21st century. We are delighted that The London Library is able to offer LSO Friends a private tour of this historic, literary oasis in the heart of the capital.
Open Rehearsals
Sat 14 Apr 10am–1pm
WEBER Der Freischutz
Sir Colin Davis conductor
Sun 27 May 10am–1pm
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto 3
MAHLER Symphony No 4
Michael Tilson Thomas conductor
Wed 13 Jun 10am-1pm
BRUCKNER Symphony No 7
MOZART Piano Concerto No 23
Bernard Haitink conductor
Thurs 21 Jun 10-13:00*
BERG Three Fragments from Wozzeck
WAGNER Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 5
Gianandrea Noseda conductor
*Ticket holders for the evening’s concert on 21 June can claim a free rehearsal ticket as part of the 2012 Celebrate the City festival. Quote ‘Celebrate the City’ and your ticket booking reference at the Barbican Box Office.
The London Symphony Orchestra is a registered charity no 232391.
