Musicon

26/11/2025

Lovely review of our concert last night, Quatuor Bozzini premiering James Weeks' weatherworld quartets...

The world premiere of six quartets by James Weeks, played by Quatuor Bozzini

02/10/2025

Delighted to be launching our 2025-26 season next Friday with a visit from the wonderful Royal Northern Sinfonia, playing Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev.

Take a look at our full season via the link below!

We launch our new, multi-season partnership with the North East’s world-class chamber orchestra with an evening rich emotions and vivid contrasts in bold, theatrical chamber music by three of Russia’s greatest composers.

21/05/2025

Come and Sing Orlando Gibbons! We're commemorating the evening of his death 400 years ago on Thursday 5th June with a special choral workshop event in St John's College Chapel, Durham University, spread over two evening rehearsals and led by conductor James Weeks. More information and booking details below... It should be an evocative and memorable occasion! All welcome.

Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June, 7-9pm | St John's College Chapel

21/05/2025

Come and join us for an Orlando Gibbons choral commemoration - 4th and 5th of June in the evocative chapel of St John's College (aka St Mary the Less), Durham. https://pay.durham.ac.uk/event-durham/musicon-come-and-sing-presents-%E2%80%98what-is-our-life%E2%80%99-orlando-gibbons-%E2%80%93-a-commemoration-on-the-day-of-his-death

Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June, 7-9pm | St John's College Chapel

12/03/2025

Lovely shots of our recent Fretwork concert with Alexander Chance.

03/03/2025

Missed our soundwalk on Sunday? Or came along and want to relive it? Here's David de la Haye's recording of the underwater world of the River Wear, as captured over 20 minutes as we listened in.

track by David de la Haye

03/03/2025

Heart-full after a wonderful, sunny New Music Weekend. The travel gods may not have smiled on us (though that didn't stop many) but the weather gods certainly did. Stunning performances from Riot Ensemble's Marie Schreer and Sarah Dacey, and from Plus-Minus Ensemble. Four concerts and two workshops, one for allcomers on James Weeks' new ecological participation scores and one for MA composers (two excellent new pieces from Alec Jones and Alex McNulty). A moving and beautiful playing of David Lumsdaine's Big Meeting (1978), with pre-concert talk by Nicola LeFanu and Michael Clarke. And a magical soundwalk on Sunday morning along the Durham riverbank, stopping to listen through David de la Haye's hydrophones. Thanks to all who came, performed, participated, listened. Let's do this again!

03/03/2025

Possibly our final concert of the season, and what a cracker - Fretwork and Alexander Chance performing Gibbons, tomorrow at Elvet Methodist Church, 7.30pm.

Hot on the heels of their new music weekend, Musicon heads back to the 17th century for their final concert of the season on Tuesday 4 March, with one of the world's greatest viol consorts, Fretwork and the fabulous young countertenor Alexander Chance. They're marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Orlando Gibbons with a selection of the composer's refined and expressive songs and consort music – there's more to Gibbons than the Evensong standards. After missing Fretwork last year, I'm very disappointed that I won't make it to this either, so please Durham, give them a good turnout. https://www.musicdurham.co.uk/events/orlando-gibbons-400

02/03/2025

Great to have you, Riot Ensemble! A beautiful programme, fabulously played, and a perfect first concert of our New Music Weekend. Congrats on your own premieres too!

25/02/2025

3 days to go! Come to our New Music extravaganza this weekend!

There's an exciting festival of contemporary music hosted by Musicon this weekend, with concerts by The Riot Ensemble and Plus Minus Ensemble and workshops with Durham composers, including your chance to take part in creating a new piece of music. And if you've ever heard the hydrophone recordings from Britains rivers and lakes on Petroc Trelawny's Radio 3 breakfast roadtrips, you can experience this for yourself on a riverbanks walk with soundscape artist David de la Haye on Sunday morning. https://www.musicdurham.co.uk/events/new-music-weekend