Music, books and art at our Proms

Above: Dame Emma Kirkby and Dowland Works

This year’s Islington Proms will provide the usual mix of topquality music – and more besides. The two-week festival in June will include an art exhibition, an illustrated talk by an eminent art historian and a literary evening featuring three local authors.

It all kicks off on Saturday 1 June with the traditional Pocket Prom, the open-air event in the vicarage garden (1a Arlington Square) where you are encouraged to bring a picnic. Music will be provided by an opera singer or two, and a violin and accordion duo from the Marama Cafe Band playing a heady mixture of English folk tunes, Romanian gypsy music, tangos and French Bal-musette.

All the other concerts will be in St James’, Prebend Street, starting on Sunday 2 June with an early-evening recital including Beethoven, Shostakovich and Franck by cellist Yoanna Prodanova and pianist Mihai Ritivoiu. Later the same evening, a concert of early music by Dowland Works will feature the internationally acclaimed soprano Dame Emma Kirkby.

At this year’s Proms: singer-songwriter Nicola Hogg

On Friday 7 June there’s music of a very different kind from singer- songwriter Nicola Hogg and friends. Nicola learnt her trade busking on the London Underground, and is now a recording artist who appeared at Glastonbury in 2017.

At this year’s Proms: cellist Yalda Davis

Saturday 8 June sees the return of Pocket Sinfonia, the talented quartet who deliver elegant chamber versions of orchestral works. Their programme this year includes chamber arrangements of a Haydn symphony and Greig’s Holberg Suite. The following night there’s more cello, from the gifted Yalda Davis (the daughter of a one-time Arlingtonian, the conductor Sir Colin Davis), who will be playing Bach, Bloch, Prokofiev and Telemann.

On Friday 14 June the customary Youth Prom spotlights the talented musical youngsters in our neighbourhood. Then on Saturday 15 the season’s grand finale will be a Mozart opera! The chamber opera group Insieme, who gave us Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona a few years ago, return with Mozart’s little-known early comic opera, Bastien and Bastienne.

As well as all the wonderful music, St James’ will also be staging a free exhibition of art by Margaret Thompson, John Olley, Brian Innes and Annie Williams (May 13–June 16). Then on 5 June Paul Hills, Emeritus Professor at the Courtauld Institute, will be examining Giotto’s frescos in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, with the aid of St James’ new projection system. And on 10 June there’s a literary evening when three local authors will be talking about their recent books: Hilly Janes, Terry Stiastny and Barnaby Phillips will take part in a panel discussion, followed by a Q&A session and book signings.

Full details of all the Proms and ‘Fringe’ events will soon be on the website www.islingtonproms.org, with a link for advance ticket sales.