Join internationally acclaimed violist Lawrence Power for a unique day celebrating the viola through performances, masterclasses, talks, maker events, listening experiences and new music. Meet fellow enthusiasts, discover fresh repertoire and gain insights from leading artists. The day culminates in a separate ticketed evening concert featuring world premieres and the rediscovered Julia Perry Viola Sonata.

Lawrence Power welcomes you to V10LA Day at Kings Place, a celebration of the viola in all its richness, creativity and possibility. Whether you are a player, teacher, student, maker, composer or music lover, Lawrence hopes today offers opportunities to explore every aspect of this remarkable instrument. Through performances, conversations, workshops and masterclasses, V10LA Day celebrates the viola’s unique voice while bringing together the vibrant community that surrounds it.

Throughout the day, we’ll present:

• Leading performers and educators sharing their knowledge
• Maker events
• A masterclass led by Lawrence Power
• Film and listening events using the Kings Place d&b Soundscape system
• New repertoire (including world premieres)
• The opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts and gain fresh perspectives on the instrument’s growing role in musical life
• Foyer performances
• An interview with Lawrence Power
• An evening performance, ticketed separately, where Lawrence presents the world premieres of six works selected from the inaugural Viola Commissioning Circle Composers Prize, as well as the world premiere of Julia Perry’s recently rediscovered Viola Sonata, a rare opportunity to hear a remarkable work by one of the twentieth century’s most important composers.

This event will last for approximately 8 hours across the day. 

About Lawrence Power

Internationally acclaimed viola player Lawrence Power is widely praised for his richness of sound, technical mastery and passionate advocacy for new music. Heralded by The New York Times as ‘a musician on a mission to make us pay attention to the viola’, Lawrence has advanced the cause of the viola both through the excellence of his performances, whether in recitals, chamber music or concertos, and through the creation of the Viola Commissioning Circle (VCC), which has led to a substantial body of fresh repertoire. Lawrence has premiered concertos by leading composers such as James MacMillan, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Julian Anderson and Alexander Goehr, and through the VCC has commissioned works by Anders Hillborg, Thomas Adès, Gerald Barry, Cassandra Miller and Magnus Lindberg.

Lawrence opened the season with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Nicholas Collon), performing Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, and appeared again under Collon’s baton alongside violinist Vilde Frang in Britten’s Double Concerto with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He will give the world premiere of the Wigglesworth Viola Concerto at the Aldeburgh Festival under the composer’s baton, commissioned through the VCC. Concerto highlights include performances of the critically acclaimed Magnus Lindberg Viola Concerto with the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona (Matthias Pintscher), the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (Ryan Bancroft) and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (Adam Hickox), as well as play-directing the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Further engagements include performances of Cassandra Miller’s I cannot love without trembling with the BBC Philharmonic (Ludovic Morlot) and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra (Elim Chan), Bacewicz’s Viola Concerto with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester (James Gaffigan), and a three-week play-directing tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, including the world premiere of Garth Knox’s Viola Concerto.

Reviews

‘His programming is so imaginative and his musicianship so independent of his instrument that it’s the message, not the medium, that is paramount’ The Strad