Kings Place Jazz Orchestra: 70 Years of West Side Story
Origins Unwrapped
Kings Place Jazz Orchestra returns to Hall One to celebrate 70 years of Bernstein’s iconic West Side Story. At its heart is Creative Director Callum Au’s six-movement suite, reimagining the musical’s most famous melodies for big band.
Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story made its Broadway debut in 1957 and has become one of the most enduring works of musical theatre. For this anniversary celebration, KPJO’s Creative Director, Callum Au, brings its music into the world of the big band with his continuous six-movement suite.
Callum’s West Side Story Suite for Big Band is based on some of the most famous melodies from Bernstein’s musical. The suite was first performed during West Side Story’s 50th anniversary year at Cadogan Hall’s Out to Lunch festival. It reinvents the well-known music from the show, with each movement giving a new big band twist to Bernstein’s melodies, from the shifting time signatures of ‘Something’s Coming’ to the electric, Jaco-influenced ‘America’ and the pensive, gospel treatment of ‘Somewhere’.
Kings Place Jazz Orchestra is a handpicked, project-based ensemble made up of some of the UK’s finest jazz and big band musicians, alongside rising young artists. Founded in 2025, the orchestra was created to bring the powerful, immersive sound of the big band to the heart of Kings Place.
Committed to celebrating the depth of jazz tradition while pushing the boundaries of contemporary large-ensemble writing, KPJO places ambitious new arrangements and projects at the centre of its work.
This event will last approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including 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.
Kings Place Jazz Orchestra
Founded in 2025 by Callum Au (Creative Director), Hannah Hutton (Producer), and Sam McShane (Artistic Director, Kings Place), the Orchestra was created to bring the powerful, immersive sound of the big band to the heart of a contemporary arts centre.
Callum Au
Callum Au is a British composer, arranger, orchestrator, and trombonist. He writes music across a wide range of genres, with a particular passion for orchestral and large jazz ensemble music. He is highly regarded for his stylistic awareness and versatility, and has worked with some of the world’s biggest artists.
Reviews:
‘It is heartening to report on a jazz venture getting off to such an auspicious start.’ Sebastian Scotney, UK Jazz News
‘You might think that to compare Au with Mandel is unreasonable. If so, just sit back and let the music envelop you…’ ★★★★★ Alan Musson, UK Vibe
‘The remarkable young arranger Callum Au is already a master [of the] mysterious art of orchestration and arranging.’ ★★★★ Dave Gelly, The Guardian