LUCY PARHAM'S CELEBRITY CHRISTMAS GALA Announced

Pianist Lucy Parham is joined on stage by celebrities, including Ed Balls, Alistair McGowan, Cathy Newman, Dame Harriet Walter and Katie Derham, in a performance of piano music, narration and festive surprises.

The return of Lucy Parham's acclaimed Christmas Gala at Kings Place, with celebrities from outside the musical world joining pianist Lucy Parham on stage to play music that has inspired them to play the piano. This Christmas Gala will once again be presented by BBC Radio 3's Sean Rafferty, with narration and festive surprises.

Previous pianists have included Katie Derham, Simon Russell Beale and Niamh Cusack to name a few. Subject to scheduling, this year's starry line-up includes Cathy Newman (presenter, Channel 4 News), Ed Balls (former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer), Alan Rusbridger (former Editor, The Guardian), Stephen Boxer (actor), Jay Rayner (food critic and TV presenter), Alistair McGowan (actor/comedian), Conrad Williams (author), Dame Harriet Walter (actor), Garry Richardson (presenter, BBC Radio 4 Sports), Barry Wordsworth (conductor), David Pickard (Director, BBC Proms), Katie Derham (newscaster/presenter) and Edward Fox (actor), with more to be announced!

One of Britain's finest pianists, Lucy Parham applies her sensitivity and imagination not only to concertos and recitals, but also to portraits in words and music of such composers as Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Liszt and Debussy. Lucy Parham has performed throughout the UK and Europe, South Africa, USA, Canada and Russia. As a concerto soloist with leading orchestras, she has appeared in the UK with the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, RTE Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia, Hallé and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and abroad with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra at the Tchaikovsky Hall and Great Hall in Moscow, Bergen Philharmonic, L'Orchestre National de Lille, L'Orchestre Rencontres Suisse, and on three tours with the Sofia Philharmonic and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2002 she joined the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Barry Wordsworth on a six-week 50th Anniversary tour of the USA and she has toured the UK, Mexico and Turkey with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with whom she has now given over sixty concerts.

Lucy Parham's Celebrity Christmas Gala

December 5th at 11.30

featuring Ed Balls, Alistair McGowan, Cathy Newman, Dame Harriet Walter, Katie Derham and many more

Christmas at Kings Place

www.kingsplace.co.uk