Classical Pride: West Side Story Suite & Appalachian Spring
Voices of Pride: Poulenc, Copland & Bernstein with Aaron Azunda Akugbo and Manchester Camerata
| Joy Guidry | They know what they’ve done to us |
|---|---|
| Aaron Copland | Appalachian Spring |
| Poulenc | Banalités |
| Leonard Bernstein | West Side Story Suite |
| Aaron Azunda Akugbo | trumpet |
|---|---|
| Manchester Camerata |
As part of Classical Pride, step into a world of rich storytelling and bold musical expression with trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo and Manchester Camerata. Classical Pride is an annual music festival curated by conductor Oliver Zeffman to celebrate the breadth and diversity of LGBTQ+ artists across classical music.
From the raw emotion of Joy Guidry’s They Know What They’ve Done to Us—a striking fusion of trumpet and electronics—to the sweeping beauty of Copland’s Appalachian Spring, this concert is a journey through resilience, nostalgia, and joy. Poulenc’s playful Banalités leads into the electrifying rhythms of Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite. A celebration of identity and artistry, this promises to be an afternoon of unforgettable music.
This event will last approximately 75 minutes, with no interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets for attendees aged under 30 are available for certain shows. To purchase an ‘Under 30s’ ticket, please choose the ‘Under 30s’ price type when selecting your ticket(s). If the option does not appear, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out or are not available for this performance. Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue. The £10 offer does not apply to premium price categories.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
Born in 1998 and of Nigerian-Scottish descent, Aaron Azunda Akugbo hails from Edinburgh and is poised as a future leading exponent of his instrument. He brings a wide-ranging musical taste to his artistry and despite being classically trained, cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical inspiration. He is a charismatic performer with an abundance of natural humour which translates into an effortless engagement with people and audiences.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and an ex-principal of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Akugbo made his BBC Proms concerto debut in 2023, performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with Chineke!, recent highlights include visits to Lucerne, Bath International, Lichfield, Petworth, Ryedale, St Magnus and Lammermuir festivals and leading the Emerging Talent programme at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival.
Reviews
‘TrumpeterAaron Azunda Akugbo was a refined soloist in Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat major. His sound was sweet, often lyrical, with the ability to play both legato and to manage the treacherous multi-octave leaps that Haydn sets as challenges to the soloist. The second movement was especially fine, with Akugbo’s phrasing of the lyrical solo line. The third movement’s acrobatics were played with perfect clarity and intonation.’ The Arts Desk
This event is part of Classical Pride
Official partners
