Limelight (club night)

Last updated

Limelight is a classical club night, that is held at the 100 Club, in Soho, London. The event aims to broaden the appeal of classical music by presenting artists in an intimate, "rock & roll" environment, undermining conventional notions that classical music needs to be heard in a formal concert hall to be enjoyed. [1]

Contents

Unlike traditional concerts, artists are encouraged to speak to the audience about their music choices and stay for a drink and chat at the bar afterwards. The 100 Club was chosen for the event because of its rich history. Since its opening in 1942, it has seen numerous performances from some of the biggest names in jazz and rock, including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones. However, the club had never before hosted classical music.

History

Limelight was founded in July 2009 by two young women in the classical music industry: Emily Freeman and Milly Olykan. [2] Speaking to Muso magazine in October 2009, Olykan said: "I don't go to many classical concerts, and when I do I think of it as a difficult environment. People are stuck rigidly in rows miles from the performers, and you need so much prior knowledge even to understand the programme. The artists never chat to the audience, and the whole thing is very intimidating and impersonal.When I talked to Emily, who has worked with many classical acts, she said several artists had already shown an interest in working in smaller venues, so I thought there was an opportunity there. It was like merging two worlds in one." [3]

Several Brit and Emmy award winners have appeared at Limelight so far, with some returning for repeat appearances. Artists have included Leif Ove Andsnes, Natasha Paremski, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Benedetti, Jack Liebeck, Daniel Hope, Charlie Siem, Natalie Clein and Matthew Barley.

In December 2010, Times columnist Giles Coren attended a night and said afterwards: "Limelight avoids the tedium of a restaurant, the horror of a ‘gig’ and the pole-up-your-arse stiffness of most classical venues, and provides something genuinely original, fun and really rather classy." [4]

Limelight has featured in several magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian Guide , Financial Times , Evening Standard , Metro , Muso magazine, Classical Music magazine, Classic FM Magazine , Time Out and Music Teacher magazine. The night has been supported by Classic FM, with presenter Nick Bailey one of its most dedicated attendees. BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme has also run a feature on the night, along with Robert Elms' BBC London show.

In March 2010, the Jacaranda Ensemble – five young principals of the Brandenburger Symphoniker – drove over 1,000 miles from Germany, with a didgeridoo, percussion kit and two 10ft alpenhorns, to perform at the night.

In July 2010, Limelight changed its regular format to host "Limelight Presents New Artists", a competition to find the next wave of classical talent. Dozens of youngsters from music schools across the country applied, and the four winners performed at the 100 Club to over 100 peers, music industry professionals and members of the public.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio 3</span> British national radio station

BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The station describes itself as "the world's most significant commissioner of new music", Through its New Generation Artists scheme promotes young musicians of all nationalities. The station broadcasts the BBC Proms concerts, live and in full, each summer in addition to performances by the BBC Orchestras and Singers. There are regular productions of both classic plays and newly commissioned drama.

Classic FM is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations and is owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment (Global). The station broadcasts classical music and was launched in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aled Jones</span> Welsh singer, TV presenter and actor (born 1970)

Aled Jones, is a Welsh singer, radio and television presenter, and actor. As a teenage chorister, he gained widespread fame in 1985 with his recording of "Walking in the Air", which reached the UK top five. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and on radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">100 Club</span> Music venue in London, England

The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner took over in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNZ Concert</span> New Zealand public radio network

RNZ Concert is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand FM fine music radio network. Radio New Zealand owns the network and operates it from its Wellington headquarters. The network's playlist of classical, jazz, contemporary, and world music includes recordings by local musicians and composers. Around 15 percent of its airtime features live concerts, orchestral performances, operas, interviews, features, and specialty music programs, many of them recorded locally.

Debbie Wiseman, OBE is a British composer for film, television and the concert hall, known also as a conductor and a radio and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Classic</span> Australian classical music radio station

ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM, and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Fischer</span> German classical violinist and pianist

Julia Fischer is a German classical violinist and pianist. She teaches at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts and performs up to 60 times per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic Connections</span> Annual music festival in Glasgow, Scotland

The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international folk, roots and world music artists. The festival is produced and promoted by Glasgow Life. Donald Shaw, a founding member of Capercaillie, was appointed Celtic Connections Artistic Director in 2006.

Perth, the major city in Western Australia, has given rise to a number of notable performers in popular music. Some of the more famous performers include Kevin Parker, Troye Sivan, Rolf Harris, David Helfgott, Luke Steele and Tim Minchin. Notable artists in genres including rock, classical, and electronic music have lived in Perth.

Friday Night Is Music Night is a long-running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast from 1953 to 2023 on the BBC Light Programme and its successor BBC Radio 2, moving to BBC Radio 3 from April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Balsom</span> English trumpet player (b1978)

Alison Louise Balsom, Lady Mendes, is an English trumpet soloist, arranger, producer, and music educator. Balsom was awarded Artist of the Year at the 2013 Gramophone Awards and has won three Classic BRIT Awards and three German Echo Awards, and was a soloist at the BBC Last Night of the Proms in 2009. She was the artistic director of the 2019 Cheltenham Music Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Pike</span> Musical artist

Jennifer Elizabeth Pike is a British violinist.

The Sacconi Quartet is a UK-based classical music string quartet founded in 2001 by four graduates of the Royal College of Music, London, UK. The Quartet has achieved widespread recognition, having given recitals in leading British concert halls and at music festivals in Britain and across Europe. They have also won several major prizes in string quartet and chamber music competitions. The Quartet is named for the outstanding twentieth-century Italian violin maker and restorer Simone Sacconi, who wrote The Secrets of Stradivari a reference work for violin makers.

4 Girls 4 Harps is a quartet of award-winning female harpists formed in 2000. They play Salvi concert harps and modern electric harps. As of June 2012, the members were Keziah Thomas, Angharad Wyn Jones, Harriet Adie and Eleanor Turner.

Limelight is an Australian digital and print magazine focusing on music, arts and culture. It is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Originally published in 1976 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), as ABC Radio 24 Hours, or simply 24 Hours, since March 2018 it has been published independently by Limelight Arts Media, owned by music lovers Robert Veel and Bruce Watson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Di Xiao</span> Classical Pianist

Di Xiao is a classical piano soloist originally from China, named in the top 10 up and coming Chinese pianists by International Piano Magazine in 2009. Di Xiao is currently based in the UK.

The Limelight Awards were an annual celebration of the performances, recordings and music personalities in Australian classical music. Sponsored by the monthly classical arts magazine Limelight, they were the only publicly voted awards of their kind in Australia. In 2012 the awards attracted more than 4,500 votes.

Jill Kemp is a British recorder player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save The 100 Club Benefit Concert</span>

On December 1, 2010, at London's 100 Club, a benefit concert was performed to help the historic live venue to remain at its home at 100 Oxford Street. Guitarist Stephen Dale Petit, who organised the show, performed at the concert alongside his special guests Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor and original Stones bassist Dick Taylor, as well as British Blues figure Chris Barber. Tickets sold out immediately and the concert was described by The Express as “one of the most memorable gigs to be performed at a venue where memorable gigs are the norm” and by The Times as “worthy of a place in the 100 Club folklore”

References

  1. Limelight website
  2. "Classical music in a rock'n'roll setting? It worked for me". the Guardian. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. Muso article, October 2010 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Limelight e-flyer, March 2011

51°30′58″N0°8′7.3″W / 51.51611°N 0.135361°W / 51.51611; -0.135361