The London Philharmonic Orchestra goes ‘Live and Local’ with star trumpeter Alison Balsom

The London Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world’s leading orchestras, is delighted to announce its fourth ‘Live and Local’ tour. This year the Orchestra travels to Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Leeds and Leicester, offering audiences the chance to see the orchestra for just £15.

Classical BRIT and Gramophone award-winning trumpeter Alison Balsom, who recently appeared in the hugely successful BBC Music promotional video ‘God only knows’, makes her debut as a soloist with the Orchestra in a thrilling programme of American-themed works including the UK premiere of British composer Bramwell Tovey’s jazz-tinged trumpet concerto Songs of the Paradise Saloon. Based on music from his 2011 opera The Inventor – about real life 19th-Century American conman Alexander ‘Sandy’ Keith – Songs of the Paradise Saloon is a swashbuckling showpiece where the trumpet assumes the role of the smooth-talking, manipulative protagonist.

Dvořák’s much-loved hymn to the spirituals and folk music of America – Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’ – also features on the programme, alongside the lively overture from the opera Candide by Leonard Bernstein, the composer famous for the popular West Side Story.

The LPO’s ‘Live and Local’ tour in 2014 saw the orchestra team up with outlandish comic musicians Igudesman and Joo, as well as with Classic FM Award-winning classical guitarist Miloš. The first pair of tours in 2013 included performances with Miloš as well as Holst’s The Planets accompanied by HD video of space provided by NASA.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s long-term partner JTI generously supports its ‘Live & Local’ tour as part of its community investment programme in the UK.  JTI’s support allows the Orchestra to continue its tradition of ensuring that world-class music remains accessible to all at an affordable price.

All tickets to each concert are just £15 (excluding booking fees). To find out more please visit the LPO’s website: www.lpo.org.uk/alisonbalsom

The London Philharmonic Orchestra

One of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1932 by Sir Thomas Beecham. Since then, its Principal Conductors have included Sir Adrian Boult, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2007 Vladimir Jurowski became the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it opened in 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It also has residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. The Orchestra frequently tours abroad: highlights of the 2014/15 season include appearances across Europe, including Iceland, and tours to the USA (West and East Coasts), Canada and China.

The Orchestra broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and has recorded soundtracks for numerous films including The Lord of the Rings. In 2005 it began releasing live, studio and archive recordings on its own CD label.

Alison Balsom

‘She makes the trumpet sing with an irresistible exuberance and eloquence’

Richard Morrison, The Times

2013 Gramophone Artist of the Year and winner of numerous Classic BRITs and Echo Klassik Awards, Alison Balsom has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music’s great ambassadors and is ranked amongst the most distinctive and ground-breaking musicians on the international circuit today.

In the 12 years Balsom has been exclusively signed to EMI, now Warners, her albums have consistently topped the charts and received critical acclaim.  In 2013 she conceived, produced and performed in a new 5-star reviewed production ‘Gabriel’ at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.  In 2009 she headlined the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms and in 2014 she returned to the Royal Albert Hall with her own solo show based on her No.1 album Paris, as part of a UK-wide tour.

She has performed with some of the greatest conductors and orchestras of our time and now also regularly presents for BBC television.