Brad Kella
The winner of Channel 4’s The Piano Season Two brings his dazzling, deeply heartfelt and emotionally charged compositions to the stage.
Experience Kella’s extraordinary talent in person with an intimate performance of some of his most loved pieces, with support from Melissa Parmenter.
There are fewer stories more heartfelt and inspiring in music than Kella’s. Coming through early adversity, being fostered and ending up living on the streets, he went on to win Channel 4’s The Piano.
Kella says: ‘After seeing a teacher play piano in high school, I went home and asked my foster parents if I could have a piano, which just seemed like a pipe dream. I had no training, no lessons. It’s like there’s this muscle memory from somewhere I can’t explain. Straight away I was composing my own songs.’
It’s a testament to any piano player’s ability to have Lang Lang, one of the world’s most respected classical musicians describe your playing so evocatively, telling Brad: ‘You use all the colours of the piano already, it’s remarkable.’
Schedule
7.15pm: doors
7.45pm – 8.15pm: Melissa Parmenter
8.30pm – 9.30pm: Brad Kella
Melissa Parmenter is an acclaimed composer, pianist and BAFTA-nominated film producer. She composed the scores for Genova starring Colin Firth and Catherine Keener, and The Killer Inside Me, starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson. She has released two EPs of original music, Scandinavia (2017) and Sola (2021). In 2020 she released the mini-album Messapica, picking up support from Classic FM, Scala Radio, The Line of Best Fit, Spotify and Apple Music.
Need to know
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.