In partnership with Classical Pride 2026, this colourful recital brings together pianist Charles Owen – co-artistic director of the London Piano Festival – and violinist Charlie Lovell-Jones, concertmaster of the Sinfonia of London and a Classic FM Rising Star of 2026, in an expressive programme that includes works by LGBTQ+ composers past and present.

This Classical Pride and Kings Place programme brings together some of the most captivating writing for violin and piano. Audiences can expect the sparkling imagination of Britten and the immediacy of Jennifer Higdon, set alongside one of the great icons of the piano repertoire: Ravel’s Ondine, performed by Charles Owen. The evening also touches the atmospheric world of Szymanowski before shifting, after the interval, into Poulenc’s lyrical elegance and Ysaÿe’s explosive Ballade, a showpiece that unleashes Charlie Lovell-Jones’ virtuosity. Two much-loved Tchaikovsky gems – the heartfelt Souvenir d’un Lieu Cher and the exhilarating Valse-Scherzo – bring warmth, brilliance and unmistakable emotional sweep to the close.

This event will last for approximately 90 minutes with an interval.

About Charles Owen

Charles Owen enjoys an extensive international career performing a wide-ranging repertoire to outstanding critical acclaim. He appears at major UK venues such as Bridgewater Hall, The Sage and Kings Place. Internationally, he has performed at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Brahms Saal in Vienna’s Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Melbourne Recital Centre. His chamber music partners include Alina Ibragimova, Johan Dalene, Steven Isserlis and Augustin Hadelich. Ensemble collaborations encompass the Carducci, Heath, Sacconi and Takács String Quartets.

A regular guest at UK festivals such as Aldeburgh, Bath, Cheltenham, Three Choirs and Ryedale, he has also performed in Australia at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Townsville and the Verbier Festival, Switzerland. Charles’s concerto appearances have included the Philharmonia, Hallé, Aurora and London Philharmonic orchestras. He has enjoyed collaborations with many leading conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Ryan Wigglesworth, Nicholas Collon and Martyn Brabbins.

Charles’s significant solo discography comprises piano music by JS Bach, Brahms, Fauré, Liszt, Janáček, Poulenc and Schumann. Chamber music albums include two-piano works by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and Poulenc with Katya Apekisheva, a disc of Janáček, Suk and Dvořák with violinist Augustin Hadelich and the world premiere recordings of the Piano Quintet and ‘Between Friends’ by Jonathan Dove.

Together with pianist Katya Apekisheva he is Co-artistic Director of London Piano Festival, a celebration of the instrument, held annually at Kings Place since 2016. The festival presents many distinguished pianists whilst also commissioning outstanding composers to write music for two pianos. Sally Beamish, Nico Muhly, Elena Langer and Sir Stephen Hough have all composed for the ongoing series.

Charles Owen is a Professor of Piano at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. In 2016 he was appointed Steinway & Sons UK Ambassador, a role which offers masterclasses to schools and universities. He is an ambassador and mentor for the charity Help Musicians. From summer 2026 he will take on the role of Co-artistic Director at the Petworth Festival, West Sussex.

About Charlie Lovell-Jones

Charlie Lovell-Jones debuted at a sold-out Royal Festival Hall aged 15. He has since soloed with major orchestras internationally, broadcasting on radio and television. As concertmaster and soloist with the Sinfonia of London, he has garnered widespread critical acclaim, including from Gramophone Magazine, BBC Music Magazine, BBC Radio 3, and Classic FM, which named him a 2026 Rising Star.

Charlie studied at Oxford University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Yale School of Music. He studied for over 10 years with Rodney Friend MBE and for two years with Augustin Hadelich. He has enjoyed many masterclasses with musicians such as Ida Haendel, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin, Menahem Pressler, Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes, and Leonidas Kavakos.

He won awards from foundations including Hattori, Drake Calleja, and Countess of Munster, and is also a J&A Beare International Violin Society Artist. Charlie’s debut album was released on Linn Records in 2022, and in 2025, Chandos released his recordings of the Walton Violin Concerto with the Sinfonia of London and John Wilson, and Ruth Gipps Violin Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic and Rumon Gamba. The former was nominated for a Gramophone Award in the Concerto category. Charlie plays a 1777 G.B. Guadagnini violin, loaned by a generous benefactor.

About Classical Pride

Classical Pride is an annual festival curated by conductor Oliver Zeffman, celebrating the breadth and diversity of LGBTQ+ artists in classical music. Launched in 2023, it marked the first Pride celebration by a major European orchestra or concert hall. The festival expanded to five days in 2024, and in 2025 made its international debut at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.