The Metropole's finest Chamber Music Venues

http://www.barbican.org.uk/music

Based on manifold partnerships and operating at different venues within and outside the barbican complex Europe’s largest arts and conference venue offers:

• BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concerts (see ‘LSO St Luke’)
• free pre concert performances of students from the Guildhall School of Music

Tickets are available from £10 (concessions £9)

http://www.cadoganhall.com/whats-on/?categories%5B0%5D=2

This refurbished former protestant church has a capacity of 970 persons and runs a chamber music series featuring:

• local and international celebrities of chamber music, local and European chamber orchestras, brass sections and cello duos and more.

Programs currently include:

• Beethoven’s entire cycle of piano sonatas
• Rarely played chamber music by Arvo Pärt, Bax, Vaughan Williams and others.

Tickets between £10 and £40

www.conwayhall.org.uk/sunday-concerts

This venerable series of professional concerts, founded in the 1880s, has the motto 'affordable classical music for all', and with tickets at just £9 (£4 for students) per concert it has to be one of the best bargains around for music-lovers.

From the unique collection of churches in the City of London many offer free lunchtime concerts throughout the week that are best spotted in Time Out. Here are two examples:

Christ Church, Spitalfields, Commercial Street, London E1 6LY

• Free lunch-time recitals are given on the first Friday of every month (second Friday in January and April) from 1 to 2 pm by young professional musicians and students from the Guildhall school of Music
• http://www.ccspitalfields.org

St George’s German Lutheran Church, 55 Alie Street, London E1 8EB

• On the first Thursday of each month free admission to organ recitals at 1pm
• http://www.stgeorgesgermanchurch.org.uk

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/home

As one of Europe’s leading cultural centre the place since 2008 offers a chamber music series ‘‘chamber classics unwrapped’ that features imaginative and individual approaches to classical composers from Bach to Brahms.

Tickets are from £9.50 onwards (limited number); group bookings for 6 and more people get 20% discounts. Concerts take place in three different halls in an award-winning spectacular building.

http://lso.co.uk/lso-st-luke-s

As an 18th century Grade 1 listed Hawksmoor church, St Luke hosts the London Symphony Orchestra’s education and community programme and runs performances, recordings and workshops in the Jerwood Hall.

Since summer 2013 there are free lunchtime concerts for all ages on particular Fridays, 12.30-1.15pm that introduce to specific genre and composers.

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime concerts take place on various Thursdays throughout the year; they present a variety of established and upcoming ensembles and soloists.

Tickets are £10; the acquisition of a lunchtime concert pass entitles to a discount of £20. The centre’s environment invites to catering at its own facilities or self-catering at the neighbouring White Cross Market that offers international food on a daily basis.

http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/milton_court/performance_venues/

The Guildhall School of Music has just completed this major building project to expand its facilities.

Milton Court has not only a 608-seat concert hall but is an expression of a particular architectonical vision, namely ‘to create an elegant building that captures the warmth and soul of live performance, with the characteristics and functional arrangements of a professional concert hall and an intimate, yet technically sophisticated, performing arts centre.’

The place allows for learning and listening on first class levels; concerts and masterclasses are organized and managed by the Guildhall School of Music.

Tel: +44(0)20 7382 7195

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/

The Centre ‘passionately believes that the arts have the power to transform lives and that they must be available to all of us’; accordingly its activities are diversified, interdisciplinary and cross-boundary in every sense. 

Chamber music takes place at three different venues:

• Royal Festival Hall
• Queen Elisabeth’s Hall
• Purcell Room

http://www.barnabites.org/concerts/

This architectonically stunning church runs annual piano, organ and other music festivals, and free lunchtime chamber music concerts on every Friday from 1-1.45pm featuring upcoming and well-known chamber music stars.

Easy access makes a visit to this West London spot worthwhile: take the central line to Ealing Broadway and then have an 8min bus drive with the E2.

http://www.st-marys-perivale.org.uk/events03.htm

This 12th century church near Perivale, central line, has been informed into an art and music centre and particularly hosts a series of chamber music concerts in a most intimate atmosphere.

All concerts take place on Wednesday, 7.30pm and Sunday afternoons at 3pm; they are entirely free and often communicate interesting aspects of particular music periods and genres.

A visit combined with a walk through the beautiful surrounding greens is highly recommendable.

http://www.ram.ac.uk/tuesday-series

As London’s oldest music college founded in 1822 and having George IV as its patron, is most famous for its historical collections including the Yehudi Menuhin Archive, known as the Foyle Menuhin Archive.

Its ‘Free on Tuesdays’ series for soloist and group performers takes place in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall and features outstanding programs such as baroques chamber music of Europe and prize-winners of national and international competitions.

http://www.rcm.ac.uk/events/listings/chambermusicseries/

The in 1880 College that once trained Holst, Vaughan Williams and Britten, spreads its most diversified chamber music series all over the place, including:

• St Mary’s Abbott, Kensington High Street on Fridays, 1pm (free entry)
• Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery (free entry)
• King’s Place, Edward Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall (tickets £11 including coffee and cake)
• in its own facilities, the Inner Parry Room and others; programs consist of classical repertoire and thematically inspired presentations.

http://www.schott-music.co.uk

Located in the basement of its business premises near Oxford Circus the publisher runs a chamber music series on an almost weekly basis, mostly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Programs feature works for piano +, often combing well-known with less known and exotic works that are performed by international artists.#

Tickets cost £10.

http://www.list.co.uk/place/20005082-trinity-college-of-music/

http://www.list.co.uk/place/20002180-old-naval-chapel/

The in 1872 founded music college, then consisting of the Choral Society and the College of Church Music is now co-located with the University of Greenwich on the site of the Tudor placae, later becoming the Royal Naval College.

It offers regular chamber music recitals in the Old Naval Chapel, Foundation House, 2 Sutty Clark, SE10 9LW

This location regularly features free lunchtime concerts of students from the neighbouring Royal Academy of Music.

http://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on

This ‘must-be place’ in renaissance style, Europe’s leading hall for song and chamber music has seating for around 550.

It was opened in 1901, then featuring Busoni and Ysaȳe; it still remains the place where you might hear the leading singers and ensembles of the day.

The hall presents about 400 concerts a year from Sunday morning coffee concerts to lunchtime concerts and an extended learning programme for chamber music aliens, experts and kids.

Tickets from £10-£12.50 (lunchtime) and between £15-£35