Events

VIV McLEAN piano recital at Ham House Stables

Acclaimed concert pianist Viv McLean in recital at historic Ham House Stables in a programme featuring music by Chopin, Ravel, Scarlatti, Haydn and more…

Tickets £25 (includes welcome drink). Limited seating so early booking is recommended

Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start

Mingle with other music lovers, meet the artist – and even some of the horses!

Dogs welcome, by prior arrangement (please contact sevenstarconcerts@hotmail.com)

BOOK TICKETS

‘Extraordinary originality, superb simplicity, and fingers of steel hidden behind muscles of velvet. He is an otherworldly young man – he plays with the genius one finds in those who know how to forget themselves, naturally placing themselves at the right point to meet the music, this mystery of the moment’ – LE MONDE, Paris

Praise for 7 Star Arts events:

“a truly uplifting evening- beautiful music!”

“such a friendly atmosphere…”

“Inspiring, inspired”

Viv McLean

ICONOCLASSICS: Minimalist Stories with Waka Hasegawa, piano, at Café Yukari

MINIMALIST STORIES

Pianist Waka Hasegawa makes her ICONOCLASSICS debut at Cafe Yukari with a programme exploring minimalist music by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and Joe Hisaishi, paired with selected Preludes and Fugues by J S Bach

Tickets £30

Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start

BOOK TICKETS

 

Programme:

Philip Glass – Etude No. 2
J.S. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in C Major, BWV 846 (Book 1)

Philip Glass – Etude No. 16
J.S. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in G Minor, BWV 885 (Book 2)

Philip Glass – Etude No. 17 in F Minor
J.S. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in F Major, BWV 880 (Book 2)

Steve Reich – Piano Counterpoint (arr. Vincent Corver)

Arvo Pärt – Variations for the Healing of Arinushka

Joe Hisaishi:

Dawn Flight (Etude – A Wish to the Moon)
Innocent (Castle in the Sky)
The Wind Forest (My Neighbour Totoro)
Asian Dream Song (Piano Stories)
Kids Return (Piano Stories)


ICONOCLASSICS features leading, critically-acclaimed classical musicians, more at home in the world’s great concert halls than in a café but all happy to break free from the conventional classical music scene. The small size of the venue creates a special connection between musicians and audience, and allows the musicians to present music in a more accessible and relaxed way. Concert-goers can mingle with other music lovers and meet the artists after the performance.

Praise for 7 Star Arts at Cafe Yukari:
“a truly uplifting evening of beautiful music!”
“better than Wigmore Hall!”
“such a friendly atmosphere…”
“Inspiring, inspired”
“What a charming experience …to listen to first-class music and eat delicious food while outside, beyond the fairy lights, commuters pour out of Kew Gardens Station”

 


Born in Tokyo, Japan, Waka Hasegawa began her piano studies at the age  of four and made her concerto debut at nine in her hometown of Chiba.  Her talent was discovered by the renowned Czech pianist Jan Panenka at  the Kirishima International Music Festival, leading her to audition and  earn a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London  under Piers Lane.

Since her debut at Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall, presented by Park Lane Group, Waka’s passion for collaborating with living composers has driven her to perform contemporary and lesser-known repertoire.

In addition to her solo career, Waka has  established herself as part of the internationally acclaimed piano  duo “Piano 4 Hands” with British pianist Joseph Tong. She has given  solo recitals across the UK, America, Europe, and Japan. Her solo  album, Undiscovered Piano Works  by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, released on the Metropolis/Naxos label, has garnered worldwide interest and airplay on Classic FM and various international radio stations.

Waka is also a dedicated piano teacher and the director of music at Dulwich Music Academy.

Please note: there is no refund for tickets unless we have to cancel the event

NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART at the 1901 Arts Club

Music and anecdotes with prize-winning pianist Tyler Hay. Full details coming soon….

Tickets £30

Doors/bar open 6.30pm, concert starts at 7.30pm

Meet the artist in the bar after the concert

 

‘Phenomenally good’ ★★★★★ – International Piano Magazine

‘Like a man possessed … with technique to spare’ ★★★★★ – Pianist Magazine

 

Find out more here

ALISTAIR McGOWAN ‘3-in-1’ at Ham House Stables

BAFTA-winning Alistair McGowan – impressionist, comic, writer and pianist – brings you the comedy and impressions for which he is known and loved, plays short piano favourites by Chopin, Grieg, Elgar, Satie and others, and reads from his newly-published poetry collection.

Expect beautiful music, poignant poems and spot-on mimicry.

It’s a unique evening and three great shows in one!

Tickets £35 (includes welcome drink)
Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start
 


 

DIVINE FIRE at the 1901 Arts Club

The story of Chopin and Sand in Music & Words

VIV McLEAN piano

SUSAN PORRETT narrator

Tickets £35

Doors/bar open 6.30pm, concert starts at 7.30pm

Post concert Q&A/Meet the Artists

 

Performed by Viv McLean (piano) and Susan Porrett (narrator) and featuring some of Chopin’s loveliest piano works, Divine Fire traces the relationship between Fryderyk Chopin and the authoress George Sand, from their first meeting in Paris in 1836 until their parting in 1849.

The story unfolds through a compelling, dramatic narration of events by the RSC, National Theatre and TV actress Susan Porrett, interspersed with fiery Scherzos, heartrending Ballades, intimate lyrical Nocturnes and stirring Polonaises, performed by acclaimed concert pianist Viv McLean.

CLASSIC GERSHWIN XTRA at Cafe Yukari

Experience a sensational evening of music, song and words at convivial Cafe Yukari, celebrating the life of the great American composer George Gershwin on the anniversary of his death.

Written by Susan Porrett, CLASSIC GERSHWIN XTRA tells the life story of Gershwin in music and words with rising star soprano Sofia Kirwan-Baez and pianist Alex Norton. Classic Gershwin favourites such as The Man I Love and I Got Rhythmn as well as lesser-known numbers, interspersed with a fascinating narration.

Tickets £30

Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start

Please note that this is a very small venue and seating is limited, so early booking is strongly recommended

BOOK TICKETS

 

Praise for 7 Star Arts events:

“a truly uplifting evening of beautiful music!”

“wonderful!”

“such a friendly atmosphere…”

“Inspiring, inspired”

Doors open 6.30pm for 7.00pm start

TRANSCENDENT TRANSCRIPTIONS at the 1901 Arts Club

TRANSCENDENT TRANSCRIPTIONS
– From Strauss to Scriabin

Leon Chen, piano

Richard Strauss (transcribed by Mei-Ting Sun)
  Der Rosenkavalier
​  Four Last Songs
Alexander Scriabin (transcribed by Leon Chen)
Poeme de l’Extase​

In support of ENO Benevolent Fund.

Tickets £25

Doors/bar open 6.30pm, concert starts at 7.30pm

Meet the artist in the bar after the concert

TRADER’S CELESTIAL BIRTHDAY PARTY at the 1901 Arts Club

A celebration of the life of Trader Faulknerfilm and tv actor, writer, director, translator, raconteur, acrobat and Flamenco dancer, who died in 2021 – performed by his friends from the worlds of music and theatre.

Performers include:

SOFIA KIRWAN-BAEZ
ALEX NORTON
SUSAN PORRETT
SUSIE LINDEMAN​

Tickets £30
In support of the ENO Benevolent Fund

So glad I didn’t miss it! An all- star line-up from @7stararts celebrating the special genius of the late Trader Faulkner with an ace evening of music, dance & drama – from Gershwin & Vivien Leigh to Shakespeare & Noel Coward with a fabulous touch of Flamenco – they did Trader proud!
Gyles Brandreth on Twitter, 2021

In his long, colourful, extraordinary career, Trader Faulkner worked with the greats of twentieth century theatre, including Peter Finch, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Anthony Quayle and Paul Scofield, many of whom became life-long, close friends, and had encounters with a broad array of characters including Pablo Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, Hattie Jacques, Noel Coward, Martin Amis and Christine Keeler

Propelled by enchanting stories from his biography “Inside Trader”, read by his friend actor and writer Bill Roberts, we ‘put a girdle round about the earth’ in 90 minutes – from Australia to London to New York, to France and Andalusia, illustrated with the music of Debussy, Fauré, Gershwin, De Falla, Albéniz, Piazzolla… and the poetry of Shakespeare, Lorca, Coward…


RonaldTraderFaulkner (7 September 1927 – 14 April 2021) was an Australian actor, raconteur and flamenco dancer, best known for his work in the UK on the stage and television. A colleague and friend to stars like Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, he was also a great supporter of and friend to 7 Star Arts, appearing in many of our shows, including our sell-out Cocktails With Vivien.

Trader Faulkner