St Martin-in-the-Fields and HarrisonParrott join forces to present a new concert series showcasing outstanding talent
24/1/2022
Yoav Levanon, 19 March • Sean Shibe, 1 April • Samuel Mariño, 22 April Lise de la Salle, 17 May • Leia Zhu, 7 June
St Martin-in-the-Fields and arts management agency HarrisonParrott today announce a new partnership to present a series of concerts that will bring extraordinary performers to the iconic central London church which also plays host to a vibrant programme of arts events. The new series, called HP Futures reflects the shared desire of both organisations to introduce audiences to some of the freshest and most exciting talent from around the world.
In the first HP Futures series, the focus is on brilliant young artists who are all building significant international reputations, including a UK debut for Israeli-French pianist Yoav Levanon and the London debut for Venezuelan male soprano Samuel Mariño.
Chris Denton, Chief Executive of St Martin-in-the-Fields, said:
“Our new partnership with HarrisonParrott is an important part of St Martin-in-the-Fields’ new arts and cultural strategy which aims to offer a more diverse and richer artistic programme to attract new audiences to this magnificent venue. The first roster of artists appearing in HP Futures includes some of the most exciting, dynamic and genre-redefining artists performing today and also reflect our desire to support artists new to the London concert scene. We are proud to welcome them here.”
Jasper Parrott, Founder and Executive Chairman of HarrisonParrott, said of the series:
“The launch of our HP Futures series in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields is an exciting new enterprise for us to create opportunities for brilliant artists to perform at this wonderfully vibrant arts centre in the very heart of the capital. Like St Martin’s, we aim to encourage and support talented artists to bring new voices to the musical landscape of London. We are already at work on plans to expand our collaboration in the 2022/23 season.”
Still only 17, Yoav Levanon — described by Diapason Magazine as “an authentic musician, who has everything to become one of the major pianists of this century” — has already had a remarkable career winning numerous international prizes, performing on prestigious stages all over the world with high-level partners and receiving an enthusiastic welcome from both the public and the critics who salute the extraordinary freshness, virtuosity and sensitivity of his performances. He is an exclusive Warner Classics artist, and his debut album will be released in May 2022. For his debut UK recital, he brings much-loved piano works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt and Gershwin (19 March).
Samuel Mariño also makes his UK debut. His rare voice – praised by Concerti for its ‘brilliant and secure coloratura’ and described by Opernwelt as ‘a sensational natural soprano’ – along with his effortless musicality and charisma are garnering considerable international interest around the world with glittering debuts planned at both the Opéra Comique and the Royal Danish Opera in the 2021/22 season. In his eagerly-anticipated London debut, Samuel performs a huge programme of soprano songs and arias ranging from Dowland and Purcell to Strauss and Rossini with pianist Dylan Perez (22 April).
Multi-award-winning, visionary guitarist Sean Shibe, well-known for his innovative programming and versatile musicianship, brings a typically eclectic programme for his debut concert at St Martin’s. In Baroque meets Minimalism, he plays music by J.S. Bach and Scottish Lute Songs alongside the countercultural sounds of Julius Eastman’s Buddha. The programme includes Shibe playing all the parts in Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, a contemporary classic (1 April).
French Pianist Lise de la Salle is also an established young star, having released no fewer than thirteen albums over the last fifteen years of her career. With a reputation for exhilarating performances of real sensibility and maturity, Lise has performed with top-level orchestras all over the world, from the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic in the US to the London Symphony Orchestra in the UK, to many others in Germany, France, Italy, and Asia. For this St Martin’s debut, she brings a programme of Mozart, Chopin, Fauré and Ravel (17 May).
British-Chinese violinist Leia Zhu is a soaring talent at just 15. Having given her first professional concert at 4 years old, she has now performed in more than fifteen countries, and, at twelve, became the youngest artist to be managed by HarrisonParrott and dazzles audiences with the beauty, virtuosity and maturity of her playing. Last summer, she debuted with Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO as part of their annual BMW Classics concert in Trafalgar Square and is currently Artist-in-Residence with the London Mozart Players, whom she also joins at St Martin’s this season. Here, she brings a rare solo recital of works by Grieg, Mozart, Franck and Saraste with pianist Kaoru Wada (7 June).
The five concerts of HP Futures enrich the strong Spring/Summer 2022 season already announced at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
