Phaedra Ensemble: Ellis Island
Origins Unwrapped | Phaedra Ensemble
| Tigran Mansurian | Piano Trio No. 2 |
|---|---|
| Dmitri Shostakovich | String Quartet No. 4 |
| Meredith Monk | Ellis Island (film) |
| Philip Glass | Piano Quintet (Annunciation) [UK premiere] |
| Bryce Dessner | Aheym |
| Kurt Weill | September Song (Phaedra Ensemble arrangement) |
| Phaedra Ensemble |
|---|
Launching Phaedra Ensemble’s Kings Place residency, Ellis Island explores migration, memory and identity through Meredith Monk’s award-winning film and music by Mansurian, Shostakovich, Dessner and Weill, alongside the UK premiere of Philip Glass’s Piano Quintet.
Meredith Monk’s award-winning 1981 film Ellis Island forms the centre of a programme reflecting on the experiences of those who left one world behind to build a life in another. Acting as a symbolic bridge between old and new, the film connects a first half rooted in the musical traditions of Europe and Western Asia with a second that reflects the rich cultural landscape of New York.
Music by Tigran Mansurian and Dmitri Shostakovich evokes histories shaped by migration, conflict and shifting borders. In the second half, Philip Glass’s Piano Quintet (Annunciation) receives its UK premiere alongside Bryce Dessner’s Aheym and Kurt Weill’s September Song, works that explore how inherited traditions are transformed into new artistic voices.
Spanning continents and generations, Ellis Island traces the journeys of people, ideas and music, revealing how cultures evolve through exchange and encounter. It is a fitting opening statement for Phaedra Ensemble’s residency: a programme about origins, transformation and the enduring power of artistic reinvention.
This event will last for approximately 140 minutes with an 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 are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, update your account with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
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.
About Phaedra Ensemble
Phaedra Ensemble is a London-based contemporary chamber ensemble whose work spans curation, performance, and creation – part of a ‘new breed of ensembles tearing up the rules of classical music’ (M Magazine). Beginning as a string quartet, Phaedra has now expanded into a larger, flexible ensemble. Collaborators include Caroline Shaw, Masayoshi Fujita, Laura Jurd, and singer-songwriter The Magic Lantern. They have performed across the UK, including at the Barbican Centre, the Southbank Centre, Café OTO, and Cheltenham Festival, alongside international performances at La Seine Musicale and NYU Arts Center Abu Dhabi. Broadcasts include BBC Radio 3 and France Musique.