Live lecture and concert pairing ornithologist Peter Holden's field knowledge and photography with artist Andy Holden's visuals and the music of The Hermes Experiment.
The Hermes Experiment are at the Purcell Room on Saturday 6 February, with The Migration of Birds, a live lecture and concert that puts bird migration at its centre. It's part of the Southbank Centre Classical Season for Spring/Summer 2027, and it runs for about an hour and fifteen minutes.
The evening brings together three very different ways of looking at the same thing. Ornithologist Peter Holden provides the field knowledge he's spent a lifetime gathering, alongside four decades of his own photography. Artist Andy Holden adds his imaginative visual world to the mix, and the contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment provides the music. The whole thing is narrated by both Peter and Andy, so it's as much a talk as it is a concert.
The music is a newly composed score, written and performed by the quartet. They weave melodic themes, graphic notation and improvisation through the illustrated lecture, so the music doesn't just sit in the background—it runs alongside the words and images. The programme includes Les rossignols, dès que le jour commence by Jacquet de la Guerre, arranged by Schofield, and Buhle Bendalo by Abel Selaocoe, arranged by Benjamin Woodcotes.
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It's recommended for ages seven and up, with under-twelves needing an adult, and the venue is cash-free. Standard entry starts from ÂŁ24, with concessions available. The Purcell Room is in Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre on Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX, and the show starts at 7.30pm.
Date
Saturday, 6 February 2027
19:30
Price
Paid
Recommended Age
+14 years
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