City Music Foundation announces Barts 900 concert

City Music Foundation has announced a very special fundraising concert to celebrate 900 Years of Music and Medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital London on 14th June 2023, 7pm.

As St Bartholomew’s Hospital, one of the oldest hospitals in the world, celebrates its 900th anniversary, City Music Foundation has curated a special cabaret-style entertainment evening exploring portrayals of doctors real and fictional, illnesses and events in medical history. The concert, 900 Years of Music and Medicine, will take place on 14th June at Barts Hospital.

The event will begin in the extraordinary Pathology Museum, where Dr Watson first met Sherlock Holmes in Conan Doyle’s famous books (and the popular TV show), where the audience will hear music by one of the fictional detective’s favourite composers, Paganini performed by violinist Emmanuel Coppey. The evening then continues in the Great Hall in the North Wing.

The concert will feature 16 outstanding City Music Foundation musicians including 2023 Parkhouse Award winners Paddington Trio, soprano Claire Ward, and Ensemble Hesperi. All will be contributing to a story starting 900 years ago depicting the comedy and tragedy of our relationship with medics and medicine over time, and highlighting key moments in the history of medicine and of Barts.

The programme includes the world premieres of three new pieces of music, specially commissioned for the occasion, and for the 900 year anniversary of Barts. The first is a brand new Fanfare for St Bartholomew by Kenneth Hesketh written for CMF’s Connaught Brass. Derri Joseph Lewis‘ 9 songs for 900 years uses settings of found texts from the history of Barts Hospital and has been written for soprano, baritone and piano. In addition there is a new percussion piece, De motu cordis by CMF artist James Larter in honour of the discovery of the circulation of the blood by Barts physician William Harvey.

This musical anthology of history, anecdote and humour will be woven together into a unique narrative written by CMF Patron, Simon Callow, performed by the BBC Radio 3 presenter Donald Macleod.

“After 30 years in medicine myself, and 10 years with CMF, this event is something which I have looked forward to curating for a long time. There is much that is thought provoking, and a great deal to enjoy, and it will be a very fitting celebration of 900 years of music and medicine at Barts” says CMF Founder and Managing Director Clare Taylor. 

The concert is open to the public, and tickets – which include wine and canapes – are available for purchase here.

Proceeds from the concert will be shared between City Music Foundation and the Barts Heritage Sharing Historic Barts renovation project of the north wing of the hospital. This unique celebration of 900 years of music and medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital is one of the last opportunities to visit the historic North Wing before it closes for renovations later this year.