The Violins of Hope Street

The Violins of Hope Street is a lunchtime concert by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, taking place on Monday 22 February 2027 in the Music Room at the Liverpool Philharmonic on Hope Street. It's a small-scale affair rather than a full orchestral night, with four violinists taking the stage for an hour of music that draws on folk melodies from across Eastern Europe.

The programme centres on Béla Bartók's 44 Duos for two violins, played in relay by the four performers. The duos are a collection of vivid miniatures, each one a short, self-contained piece full of rhythm, colour and character. Because they're played in relay, the music passes from one pair of violinists to the next, keeping the energy moving across the room rather than staying with just two players for the whole set.

Alongside Bartók is Grażyna Bacewicz's Quartet for Four Violins. Where the duos are small and distinct, the quartet brings the four violinists together at once, taking that same folk energy and working it into a larger piece that celebrates the violin's brilliance, agility and power. Between the two, the concert covers a lot of ground—from the intimate, shifting focus of the duos to the full, coordinated sound of the quartet.

The four violinists are Emily Mowbray, Qian Wu, Elizabeth Lamberton and Rebecca Steventon, all members of the Orchestra. It's a lunchtime slot, so it's a good one to fit in during a working day if you're nearby. The concert starts at 13:00 and runs for an hour, held in the Music Room at the Philharmonic on Hope Street.