Wigmore Hall Will Celebrate Musical Pioneer Rebecca Clarke

On Saturday 8 November 2025, Wigmore Hall will devote an entire day to the music of violist and composer Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979), celebrating one of the most important yet long-overlooked British composers of the twentieth century and marking the centenary of her major 1925 recital at the Hall. A pioneering violist and composer, Clarke was one of the first women to join a British orchestra when she entered the Queen's Hall Orchestra in 1913. Though she composed around 100 works, only a fraction were published during her lifetime.

The Focus Day has been devised by mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, tenor Nicholas Phan, and pianist Anna Tilbrook, whose recording of Clarke's complete songs is released the day before. They are joined by soprano Ailish Tynan, bass-baritone Ashley Riches, and violist Max Baillie. The programme also features musicologists Leah Broad, author of Quartet (Faber & Faber, 2023), which profiles Clarke, Christopher Johnson, who worked with Clarke in her final years cataloguing her works, and Natasha Loges.

The day spans a lecture-recital, a broad survey of Clarke's songs and chamber music, and a contextual programme placing her alongside English contemporaries. The evening finale echoes her 1925 recital, featuring several world premières, a new arrangement of The Seal Man, and her acclaimed Viola Sonata.

Clarke's Viola Sonata and Piano Trio have long been admired, and her 1925 Wigmore Hall recital - performed with pianist Myra Hess - was a sell-out success. Yet after her marriage in 1944, by then settled in the US, she largely ceased composing, and much of her music faded into obscurity.

Kitty Whately, Nicholas Phan and Anna Tilbrook said, “It has been a thrilling journey to immerse ourselves so deeply in Rebecca Clarke‘s music over the past few years. The more time we have spent with her songs, the more we have come to admire their richness, originality, and emotional power. Clarke‘s voice as a composer is too important to remain overlooked and we're excited to share our passion for her work with audiences through this recording and a day of celebration at Wigmore Hall. We are especially grateful to Wigmore Hall for recognising the importance of Clarke's music and giving it such a prominent platform.”

John Gilhooly CBE, Director of Wigmore Hall said, "From its earliest years, Wigmore Hall has been a stage for innovation as much as for tradition, so it is fitting in our 125th Anniversary season to celebrate Rebecca Clarke, 100 years after her bold, sold-out concert here in 1925. That evening was a testament both to her extraordinary artistry and to audiences open not only to new music, but also to a woman composer in the spotlight. My thanks to Kitty Whately, Nicholas Phan and Anna Tilbrook for devising such a rich and lyrical tribute to Clarke's legacy, one that captures the spirit of a true pioneer."

The first complete recording of Clarke's songs is released on Signum Records on 7 November, coinciding with the Focus Day. Both projects are part of a wider revival of Clarke's legacy, including the first publication of her early songs (ClarNan Editions, 2025) and the inaugural Rebecca Clarke Song Competition in 2026.

For further information about Wigmore Hall's Rebecca Clarke Focus Day please visit: https://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/series/rebecca-clarke-focus-day