“Songs from the Viaduct is a song recital series that features the very best in the next generation of vocal talent in the United Kingdom. Come and experience an evening of beautiful music in the intimate environment of the Musicians' Church. These soirées are a chance to experience high-quality music making in an informal, sociable context. Bring your friends, enjoy a glass of wine, relax and allow the music to transport you.” - Overview from Holy Sepulchre London

Eyra Norman - soprano
Abhisri Chaudhuri - piano

at Hinde Street Methodist Church W1U 2QJ in the heart of London’s West End: the nearest tube station is Bond Street.

The winners of the 2024 London Song Festival Schubert Song Prize present a selection of the of the songs that Debussy wrote for Marie-Blanche Vasnier, a high soprano with striking green eyes, with whom he enjoyed an affair from 1880 to around 1887. Debussy was 18 when he met Marie-Blanche, who was 32 and married, and he wrote some of his most exuberant songs for her.

Eyra Norman is a Samling Artist, Shipston Rising Star and an Opera Prelude Young Artist. She made her debut in 2019 as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with English National Opera and has since performed as a soloist at venues including the Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Royal Albert Hall, and in Italy, Hong Kong and America.
Abhisri Chaudhuri is a 2024 Leeds Lieder Young Artist, winner of the pianist prize of the Somerset Song Prize, and has performed at the Wigmore Hall and in France and Italy.

Have you ever wondered why a single musical phrase can stir such deep emotions—why an aria or song can bring joy to your heart or tears to your eyes? Sometimes, a simple melody, even just the sound of a single sustained “ah,” can evoke an overwhelming response.

This lecture recital will invite you to discover the soaring birdsong of composers like Offenbach and Messiaen, the heartbreak of Purcell and Mozart and even what true euphoria can feel like with composers like Bellini and Milhaud.

If you’re curious about how melismas, coloratura, and harmony shape these powerful moments, join Eyra and explore the history and art behind them. Discover a new way of listening—one that reveals the depth and nuance of vocal expression.

Link to tickets: https://www.operaprelude.org/regional-events/colour-and-coloratura-how-melismatic-roles-changed-audiences

Have you ever wondered why a single musical phrase can stir such deep emotions—why an aria or song can bring joy to your heart or tears to your eyes? Sometimes, a simple melody, even just the sound of a single sustained “ah,” can evoke an overwhelming response.

This lecture recital will invite you to discover the soaring birdsong of composers like Offenbach and Messiaen, the heartbreak of Purcell and Mozart and even what true euphoria can feel like with composers like Bellini and Milhaud.

If you’re curious about how melismas, coloratura, and harmony shape these powerful moments, join Eyra and explore the history and art behind them. Discover a new way of listening—one that reveals the depth and nuance of vocal expression.

Link to tickets: https://www.operaprelude.org/eventsinlondon/xtdrgkyyew00xrk4m48yaqkmhgwsg6

The Stanford Wind Symphony, conducted by Giancarlo Aquilanti, presents a special farewell concert in Bing Concert Hall before embarking on their two week concert tour of Italy later in June. 

With Soprano Soloist Eyra Norman

Program

• Ouverture dall’opera Nabucco – Giuseppe Verdi

• Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Paganini – James Barnes

• Danzón No. 2 – Arturo Márquez 

• Te Deum for Soprano Solo, Choir, Cellos, and Wind Symphony – Giancarlo Aquilanti

The Stanford Wind Symphony, conducted by Giancarlo Aquilanti, presents a special farewell concert in Bing Concert Hall before embarking on their two week concert tour of Italy later in June. 

With Soprano Soloist Eyra Norman

Program

• Ouverture dall’opera Nabucco – Giuseppe Verdi

• Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Paganini – James Barnes

• Danzón No. 2 – Arturo Márquez 

• Te Deum for Soprano Solo, Choir, Cellos, and Wind Symphony – Giancarlo Aquilanti

Join four Opera Prelude young artists as they celebrate the beauty of the human voice at this exclusive private riverside.

From the Queen of the Night to Toreador, expect gorgeous singing, wonderful harmonies, humour  and a touch of International flair

Link to event: https://www.operaprelude.org/regional-events/a-golden-evening-of-opera

Dreams, Delusions and Desires

"When the night sings, its song is one of mystery." 

The night brings the imagination to life. It's filled with gentle lullabies that send us to a peaceful slumber, or scary nightmares that startle us in the darkness. It can transport us to a blissful dreamland, but also has the power to plunge our delusional minds into a distorted reality, revealing our greatest fears and desires. 

Our nocturnal programme explores serene dreaming from Schubert's Nacht und Traume, enchanting midnight love in Wolf's Verschwiegene Liebe, to an outpouring of heightened emotions conjured at night through Debussy's Apparition. Also expect some all-time family favourites from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Carousel, and modern Indian song.

This new song series at Holy Sepulchre is the first featuring our newly rebuilt Steinway model D piano. A chance to hear some of the rising stars of the UK classical vocal scene live in concert in the warm and friendly environment of the National Musicians’ Church.

Perfomance with Eyra Norman and Abhisri Chaudhuri

https://hsl.church/upcoming-events/2025/5/1/songs-from-the-viaduct-zn6kz

Eyra will be presenting her final recital in the Royal College of Music, exploring some of her favourite songs and arias. Her recital, which is titled Adieu, will touch on different aspects of seeing things end, and watching as life continues on. This recital will be invitees only.

The Royal College of Music presents a fantastic recital at the Wigmore Hall of music by distinguished names who studied or taught at the conservatoire. Eyra will be performing a selection of songs from Bright Travelers by Helen Grime. Other composers in the program include Samuel Coleridge- Taylor, and Joseph Horovitz.