The Threat of Capitalism Without Democracy, with Martin Wolf
Democratic capitalism, the idea that a combination of free markets and free elections is the optimal system for achieving human flourishing is under attack. Donald Trump has put crippling tariffs on traditional US allies. The world’s richest man Elon Musk has aligned himself with far right parties and claims mass migration is destroying Europe. And […]
Marina Litvinenko on Russia, Putin and Resistance
Twenty years ago, the assassination in London of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko changed the world. This, the West now knew, was how far Vladimir Putin would go to hunt down his enemies. Poisoned with polonium after drinking a cup of tea in a London hotel, the former Russian security agent’s death transformed relations between […]
Neurodiversity and Performance
Many neurodivergent people create and perform. It could be our over-active minds, a need to carve out our own niche in the world, or a need to express ourselves in a world that doesn’t get us. Or maybe we seek creative outlets in the same way neurotypical people do. Through acting, performance, writing and music, […]
Trio Archai
“Overall, Trio Archai’s performance was electrifying; full of brio, energy and passion.” (Shropshire Star) Schoenfeld Prize winners Trio Archai bring their dazzling technique and youthful chemistry to three trios spanning a century and a half. Mozart’s elegant K502 gives way to Fauré’s autumnal late masterpiece, before Schumann’s ardent F major Trio closes the evening — […]
Creating Beyond the Mainstream
In this Ethical Matters talk, novelist and screenwriter Courttia Newland reflects on what it means to be an artist operating in the margins and shares his experiences and observations for those facing similar hurdles and choices. Courttia explores key aspects of creating beyond the mainstream: centring your own voice, reading outside of the white Western […]
Raphael Wallfisch & Simon Callaghan
“…the playing of Raphael Wallfisch is alive to the drama of the score… it’s really something special.” (MusicWeb International) One of the world’s most recorded cellists is joined by Artistic Director Simon Callaghan to explore a fascinating byway of the repertoire: Martinů’s rhythmic Arabesques, Ethel Smyth’s muscular Sonata, and Henriëtte Bosmans’s shimmering Impressions, before Beethoven’s […]
Ghibli and Goodness
Studio Ghibli films are about a lot more than wonderous lands, magical creatures and plucky young heroes and heroines. From Laputa: Castle in the Sky, via Princess Mononoke to Grave of the Fireflies and Pom Poko, Studio Ghibli tells tales of the horrors of conflict, the destruction of nature and the goodness of being honest […]
“In Sweet Music Is Such Art” with Harriet Burns, Mark Padmore & Ian Tindale
“Mark Padmore, a singer celebrated for his intelligent performances, superb diction, and ethereally pure voice, here surpasses even himself…he responds to the cycle’s world of dreams and anguish with a delicate objectivity which is captivating.” (Classic FM) Three acclaimed song interpreters perform a programme of song that travels from Schumann to Shakespeare, including duets and […]
AI and Online Disinformation
Our social media feeds have been increasingly cannibalised by slop: low-quality content generated using AI text, image and video tools. Slop takes many forms, but in the UK it often promotes far-right narratives about immigration and Islam, becoming what some have dubbed “slopaganda”. Although slopaganda is overtly political in its content, its motivations are usually […]