AERA Ensemble

AERA Ensemble play St George's Bristol on Thursday 29 October, part of the venue's Lunchtime Concert series. It's a midday slot in the Main Hall, starting at 1.00pm and running for about an hour, so it's one of those gigs you can fit in over your lunch break rather than having to clear an entire evening.

The ensemble is a young chamber trio: Isabella Todes on violin and viola, Amiri Harewood on piano, and Emily Crook on clarinet. They've had a strong run lately, taking first prize in the Mixed Ensemble Final at the Royal Overseas League Competition in March 2026 and joining the Dorothy Green Young Artists Scheme.

Their programme works its way through more than a century of music, with the clarinet, viola and piano trio as the common thread. They open with Beethoven's Op 11 Trio, originally written for clarinet, cello and piano, performed here in an arrangement for clarinet, viola and piano. That's followed by Bruch's Eight Pieces and Stravinsky's Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat. Between the early 19th century and the early 20th, the set covers a fair bit of ground.

The concert is part of the Lunchtime Concert series at St George's, which runs in partnership with Wards Solicitors in their 120th year. The series is billed as a midday experience of peace, relaxation and escape, with each week bringing something new and different. There are multibuy discounts if you're planning on more than one: 10% off when you buy tickets for three or four concerts, and 15% off for five or more. Tickets start from £9.50, with a £12 price on the door.