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Chineke! Orchestra: Haydn's Trumpet Concerto

Classical tradition meets contemporary innovation in a memorable programme with works by Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Haydn and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Part of Chineke! Orchestra Classical Season - Spring/Summer 2025

More details for Royal Festival Hall

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Artist smiling wearing a colourful shirt, holding his trumpet against a yellow background

Opening with Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, this concert begins on a note of gratitude.

Composed as an homage to the indefatigable spirit of Covid-19 frontline workers, this piece reflects the resilient rhythms of daily life during the pandemic, serving as a vibrant tribute to those who kept our world moving.

Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s A Sussex Landscape follows, drawing from her personal connection to the region where she spent her later years.

The piece unfolds with sweeping melodic lines, grand orchestral landscapes and cymbals crashing like the relentless waves along Sussex’s shores, evoking the area’s dynamic natural beauty. This composition not only portrays the tranquil and rugged aspects of Sussex but also serves as a musical homage to a place she cherished deeply.

The first half ends with Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat, with the orchestra’s world-class trumpeter Aaron Akugbo, showcasing brilliance and highlighting the expressive elegance and technical prowess of the trumpet.

After the interval, Brian Nabors’ Pulse for Orchestra takes us on a rhythmic journey, exploring the universal rhythms that underpin our shared experiences.

This piece captivates with its dynamic energy, drawing listeners into a vibrant soundscape where each note pulses with life and connects us all.

The evening culminates with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Symphony in A minor. Premiered in 1896, this historic composition first captured the attention of audiences including King George V.

Over a century later, it received its Proms premiere by the Chineke! Orchestra in 2021, testament to Coleridge-Taylor’s lasting legacy and the symphony’s blend of traditional forms with innovative ideas.

Join us for a memorable night that celebrates the transformative power of music across eras and cultures.

Performers

Chineke! Orchestra

Vimbayi Kaziboni conductor

Aaron Azunda Akugbo trumpet

Repertoire

Valerie Coleman: Seven O'Clock Shout

A Coleridge-Taylor: Sussex Landscape, Op.27

Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E flat

Interval

Brian Nabors: Pulse

Coleridge-Taylor: Symphony No.1 in A minor

Need to know

Age guidance

For ages 7+

For your visit

This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre

The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.

Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.

A concrete building with flags on the roof, with the London Eye and Big Ben in the background

A lively crowd cheers with raised hands, while a performer in a white hat and suit plays guitar, against red lighting.

A guitarist performing on a dark stage at the Royal Festival Hall, lit up by multiple spotlights.

Pianis Víkingur Ólafsson is seated at a grand piano while playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the stage of Royal Festival Hall

Organist Carol Williams plays the Royal Festival Hall organ whiich is illumiated with bold colours

The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.

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.

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.

On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.

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.

Other places to eat and drink whilst you’re here