'The musical experience of a lifetime'
'The world's finest musicians in a magnificent setting'
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In 2024/25, our concerts are based at the historic Hansom Hall in Belvoir Street, now part of the Leicester Adult Education Centre.
Hansom Hall
We are unable to use our lovely home at the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery in 2024/5 because of the Museum’s exciting redevelopment programme.
To find out more, please use the following link:
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery – Leicester Museums
For full details of Lunchtime Concerts and online tickets, click on this link.
Advance tickets are available online or in person from Hansom Hall, Leicester Museum and Art Gallery. Adults: £17, U25s: FREE
next lunchtime concert: thursday 27th march, 1pm
oliver pashley (clarinet) & george fu (piano)
Last week, we heard Fiachra Garvey perform some of the great pieces for piano: by contrast, next week's concert maintains Nicholas Daniel's (and LIMF's) commitment to new music.
The young clarinettist, Oliver Pashley, who plays with the Britten Sinfonia and the Hermes Experiment, has commissioned new pieces from two of the country's leading composers, and will perform these world premières for us with pianist, George Fu. Philip Cashian is Head of Composition at the Royal Academy, and Zoë Martlew combines her writing with performing and presenting: we are privileged to be the first to hear their latest works.
We will also hear music by Eleanor Alberga - you will remember her from the online Festival of 2020 - and the concert will end with a favourite work in the clarinet repertoire, Brahms' lovely second Sonata.
We hope you can join us for our season finale. You can use the buttons below to buy tickets or to download the programme.
lasT LUNCHTIME CONCERT: THURSDAY 13TH march, 1PM, fiachra garvey
Continuing our Lunchtime Season, Fiachra Garvey gave us a memorable recital, enjoyed by a capacity audience at Hansom Hall. We were treated to wonderful playing and incredible sounds from our Steinway, and Fiachra presented the concert with great charm. Beginning with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, he continued with lovely music by Debussy, Albéniz and Mendelssohn before ending with Mussorgsky’s monumental Pictures at an Exhibition. It was impossible not to be moved by the 'Great Gate at Kiev' which closed the concert.
LUNCHTIME CONCERT: THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY, 1PM
SACCONI QUARTET
We were thrilled to welcome the Sacconi Quartet to Leicester on 27th February.
An appreciative audience loved their playing at Hansom Hall and one of our regulars was inspired to write the following:
‘Once again the acoustic of Hansom Hall was ideal for a string quartet. The programme was shrewdly chosen: the bookends to the Ravel just right: the Panufnik full of character, not least the simulation of a gamulka and the Jessie Montgomery a real show stopper, sending us on our way in a good humour. As for Ravel, the homogeneity of the Sacconi made for a performance that wanted nothing in comparison, capturing the bittersweet moments of this underrated composer albeit the 150th anniversary of his birth means he is being played in concerts and on Radio 3.’
The following day, the Sacconis stayed with us to lead inspirational Education Workshops with both GCSE and primary school students in the city.
last lunchtime concert: thursday 13th february 2025, 1pm
junction t (flute, cello & violin)
We enjoyed a lovely Lunchtime Concert by Junction T - a flute, cello and piano trio from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Very attractive music by Gaubert, Weber and Farrenc was all played beautifully, and much appreciated by another excellent audience. We are so pleased to see the support for our 2024/5 series of concerts.
Leicester Concert-goer thought it was a ‘disarmingly delightful hour’, with musicians who ‘rose to the occasion with playing of great energy’. You can read the full review HERE.
lunchtime concert: 30th january 2025, 1pm
jess dandy (contralto) & Keval shah (piano)
‘ETERNITY IN AN HOUR’ - a unique reimagining of the Bhagavad Gita
Our latest Lunchtime Concert was a special one, with contralto Jess Dandy and pianist Keval Shah, performing 'Eternity In An Hour', a concert-meditation-ritual combining Western art song and a new set of Sanskrit songs by Indian-American composer, Reena Esmail for just the second time.
Esmail’s songs - settings of portions of the Bhagavad Gita, a central scripture of Hinduism and Vedantic thought - were interspersed seamlessly with songs from the western Lied canon. This created a spellbinding and unbroken dialogue between European and Indian classical cultures and soundworlds, exploring ways in which the philosophical traditions of East and West converge and diverge, often in unexpected ways.
It was great to see another excellent audience at Hansom Hall to enjoy this tour de force.
lunchtime concert: 16th january 2025, 1pm
nicholas daniel (oboe) & julius drake (piano)
We've certainly enjoyed a wonderful season of Lunchtime Concerts at Hansom Hall, but Nicholas Daniel and Julius Drake gave us a Lunchtime Concert which was truly outstanding.
The music of Robert and Clara Schumann is emotionally charged, of course, but after Nicholas had spoken of the devastating fires in Los Angeles, where two of his friends and fellow oboists had lost everything, it was, perhaps, no surprise that he was inspired to play with an intense feeling that transported us all.
Read Leicester Concert-goer’s review…..
lunchtime concert: 12th december 2024, 1pm
mathilde milwidsky (violin) & huw watkins (piano)
We were delighted to welcome back to Leicester the fine young violinist, Mathilde Milwidsky, and a very good friend of LIMF, the pianist and composer, Huw Watkins.
Their concert delighted everyone with playing that was, by turns, virtuosic, passionate, and sensitive. How beautiful it sounded in Hansom Hall: these were two more musicians who loved playing in its warm acoustic - as described by Leicester Concert-goer:
‘….what an impression (Mathilde) made, a wonderfully rich tone, abundant virtuosity combined with an innate musicality which made for an absolutely magical hour’s music.’
‘(Huw) coaxed from the Steinway sounds which were so sheerly luscious as almost to make one swoon.’
Read the review HERE
lunchtime concert: 28th november 2024, 1pm
REBECCA CAINE (SOPRANO) & NATHAN MARTIN (PIANO)
Rebecca Caine's Dividing Day concert for us at Hansom Hall, with Nathan Martin at the piano, was just as thought-provoking an experience as expected, exploring the arc of life in a collection of wonderful songs by contemporary composers. It was a memorable hour in the company of a lovely singer!
lunchtime concert: 14th november 2024, 1pm
Jack Hancher (Guitar)
We enjoyed hearing the very accomplished young British guitarist, Jack Hancher, who played music from his debut album, officially out on 13th December. It was good to see that he sold a very large number of pre-release CDs afterwards!
On the basis of the concert, we can heartily recommend Jack’s recording, which features works by Dowland, Arnold, and Britten, plus new commissions from Dani Howard and Laura Snowden - both really lovely pieces.
You can read Leicester Concert-goer’s review HERE
lunchtime concert: 31st october 2024, 1pm
fibonacci quartet
This was a Lunchtime Concert we will remember for a very long time - a tour de force from the superb Fibonacci Quartet.
Their award-winning Bartók 4 was as exciting as we had hoped, whilst the extraordinary level of imagination which marked their performance of Mozart K428 brought constant pleasure.
‘Have I ever in a long life ever heard a concert better than this?’
Click to read Leicester Concert-goer’s review
LUNCHTIME CONCERT: 17TH OCTOBER 2024, 1PM
TRIO Bohémo
The award-winning Trio Bohémo delighted a bumper audience in our Lunchtime Concert at Hansom Hall.
They were recently introduced in Florida as a ‘group with attitude’ and there wasn’t a dull moment in a recital which ranged from Beethoven to powerful contemporary pieces by Vasks and Yusupov.
We are very grateful to the Parkhouse Award for supporting this concert and wish the trio well for the rest of their short tour of the UK.
Lunchtime Concert: 3rd october 2024, 1pm
ivana Gavrić (piano)
Ivana Gavric
