Wigmore Hall plans 100 concerts ‘with or without’ an audience

John Gilhooly has announced a rich new season at London’s premier chamber music venue, 100 concerts between now and Christmas, which is more than any other concert hall in the UK (or almost anywhere else for that matter).

Gilhooly said: ‘Concerts will go ahead with or without an audience and the schedule is subject to change given the uncertainty of travel and the possibility of local and international lockdowns and quarantine problems. We are already planning for the spring, and many local artists included in the spring series are on standby to bring their concerts forward, should we need them for last-minute replacements this autumn.

‘This is not an easy time for the Hall or for live performing arts, and this has been a very difficult project to put together, logistically, and financially. We remain grateful to ACE and to the generosity of individual donors and sponsors who are helping to underpin significant costs around running the Hall at this challenging time. Nobody should be under any illusion about how finely balanced things are for the Hall for the foreseeable future. However, we are determined to get artists working again, and to pay them their full fees through this series. Please be generous if you are watching online, to help us fulfil the pledge to put money in artists’ pockets, many of whom have not worked since March, including artists at every stage of their career.’

Artists include Christian Gerhaher, Alban Gerhardt, Leonidas Kavakos, Sarah Connolly, Igor Levit…. and a certain Norman Lebrecht, making his Wigmore Hall debut.