POULENC'S LA VOIX HUMAINE

Francis Poulenc composed his one-act opera for soprano and orchestra in 1958, basing it on a play of the same name (in translation, The Human Voice) by Jean Cocteau. Its focus is the final telephone conversation which a woman has with her lover, whose abandonment of her leads to a suicide attempt... 
Soprano Mary McCabe is joined by pianist David Quigley (pictured) and the Northern Ireland Opera for this 50-minute presentation of a work which has been widely acclaimed for its extraordinary intensity. 
The opera is preceded by performances of Poulenc by students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Thursday 3 April

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CARDUCCI QUARTET

Performing around 100 international concerts each year, Carducci are widely considered to be one of the most successful string quartets in the business, garnering lavish praise wherever they play.  
This latest Shropshire Music concert sees them presenting two hugely popular chamber works: Schubert’s Octet in F Major, D803 and Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K581. The quartet are joined for the occasion by clarinettist Julian Bliss.

St Alkmund’s Church, Shrewsbury, Friday 4 April

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ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic - the UK’s oldest professional symphony orchestra - has been at the heart of the city’s cultural life since 1840, each season performing around 70 concerts at venues across Liverpool, including its two cathedrals.

The orchestra’s visit to the Potteries early this month sees them performing under the baton of Erina Yashima, presenting a programme of music that features Humperdinck’s Prelude to Hansel & Gretel and Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Sandwiched between the two, soloist Anna Tsybuleva plays Grieg’s famous Piano Concerto.

Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Friday 4 April 

Image © Todd Rosenberg

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ARMONICO CONCORT: HANDEL - ISRAEL IN EGYPT

Founded in 2001 by organist & conductor Christopher Monks, and using authentic period instruments, Warwick-based baroque consort Armonico turn their talents to the task of performing Handel’s most spectacular choral showpiece: Israel In Egypt. 
A biblically epic composition, the work includes graphic musical renderings of flies, frogs, hailstones, the river Nile turning to blood, and the parting of the Red Sea.

Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, Saturday 5 April; Malvern Theatres, Sunday 13 April

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HALESOWEN ORCHESTRA

The Halesowen Orchestra has been described as one of the town’s hidden jewels - a description with which the ensemble’s many supporters would no doubt wholeheartedly agree. 
Founded in 1986, the amateur group of musicians meet once a week to practise a wide and varied repertoire of works by some of the world’s greatest classical composers.
This month’s concert, titled Witches And Wizards, features, among other works, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Holst’s Uranus The Magician from The Planets, and John Williams’ Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Suite.

Cradley Heath Salvation Army Church, Saturday 5 April

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BIRMINGHAM BACH CHOIR

“Bach’s B Minor Mass is one of the greatest works of the human mind,” says Birmingham Bach Choir’s conductor, Paul Spicer. “It is at the pinnacle of his achievement, which places it as high as we can measure greatness. The range of moods and emotions Bach covers in this huge work see us revelling in some of the most beautiful aria-like movements, such as the Agnus Dei, and at the other end of the spectrum, positively dancing with joy and excitement, like the opening of the Gloria, with everything in between and beyond.
“We are joined for this concert by a wonderful period instrument orchestra and some truly international soloists, including our patron, Roderick Williams.”

Lichfield Cathedral, Saturday 5 April

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MARCHES CHOIR

Boasting an active membership of around 80, and this year celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Bishop’s Castle-based Marches Choir here performs a programme with a distinct operatic flavour. 
Puccini's uplifting Messa di Gloria is presented alongside a variety of other works, from Borodin's Polovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor) to Bizet's Pearl Fishers' Duet.

St John’s Church, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, Saturday 5 April

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WOMBOURNE CHORAL SOCIETY: BRAHM'S REQUIM

Presenting a varied repertoire of full-scale classical works, madrigals and part-songs, the well-established Wombourne & District Choral Society this month turn their attention to Brahms’ Requiem, a work which the composer began shortly after the death of his mother.

Church of St John in the Square, Wolverhampton, Saturday 5 April

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WORCESTERSHIRE EARLY MUSIC: AMYAS

Describing themselves as a period instrument group specialising in exuberant performances of historical repertoire, Amyas present a wide range of music, from well-loved classics of the 18th century - which they promise to imbue with their typical flair! - to electronic manipulation of medieval songs and dances (and everything in between). 
Their Worcestershire Early Music concert, titled The Ghost In The Machine, aims to uncover ‘the fascinating and little-known performance style found in mechanical musical instruments (barrel organs and organ clocks) produced in 18th-century England’. 

Angel Centre, Worcester, Sunday 6 April

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PHOENIX SINGERS

Rising from the ashes of Chorus 2000 - a large choir created in 1996 in the lead-up to the millennium - the Birmingham-based Phoenix Singers here present ‘a Choral Serenade for Holy Week’ to mark the centenary of St Francis of Assisi Church.

St Francis of Assisi Church, Bournville, Saturday 12 April

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SPIRES PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA & CHORUS

“We are acoustic adventurers,” explain Spires Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, a community of ambitious musicmakers from Coventry. “We seek out unheard gems and then programme them alongside classics we know and love, crafting concerts that are not only outstanding to listen to but that we love to perform, too.”

The choir and pro/am orchestra’s latest outing sees them presenting ‘an emotional and thought-provoking performance of Bach’s St John Passion, with its ever-important message of compassion, hope and ultimate salvation’.

Burgess Hall, King Henry VIII School, Coventry, Saturday 12 April

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THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCSHSTRA

Some of the country’s finest young musicians performing an imaginative programme of high-energy music: what’s not to like about this mid-month concert at Birmingham’s Town Hall!  
Featured works include Stravinsky’s Petrushka, Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto (with BBC Young Musician of the Year 2022, Jordan Ashman) and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

Birmingham Town Hall, Monday 14 April

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CBSO: KAZUKI CONDUCTS RAVEL & POULENC

Music Director Kazuki Yamada once again takes the helm for a City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra concert, this time leading them in a programme of work that features pieces by two of France’s greatest 20th-century composers. 
The concert opens with Suite No1 from the largest work ever written by Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé. 
Suite No2 also features, presented on the other side of Fazıl Say’s performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. 
The evening comes to a close in the company of soprano Eleanor Lyons (pictured), who takes on the challenge of Francis Poulenc’s Stabat Mater. Based on a medieval text, the work was written by the French composer in response to the untimely death of artist and friend Christian Bérard.    

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wednesday 16 April

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EX CATHEDRA - BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION

A favourite at Easter, Bach’s dramatic telling of the Passion of Christ continues to be one of classical music’s most profound experiences. Sung in German with English surtitles, St Matthew Passion is here performed by Ex Cathedra’s choir & baroque orchestra and Academy of Vocal Music, coming together under the direction of conductor Jeffrey Skidmore.
“Education and participation are central to our work,” explains Jeffrey, in talking about the concert. “The traditional Good Friday Bach Passion in Symphony Hall has evolved into a powerful and poignant opportunity for ‘historical’ participation. 
“This brings all the elements of our work together through a liturgical reconstruction similar to that which might have been heard in the St Thomas Church in Leipzig in the 18th century [where the earliest verified performance of the work took place, on Good Friday in 1727].”  

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Friday 18 April

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WOOD: ST MARK PASSION

Hailed a little-known musical gem, Charles Wood’s St Mark Passion is here presented by Coventry Cathedral Chorus, directed by Luke Fitzgerald with a contribution from tenor Joseph Banerjee. The work includes the chorus singing much of the Passion narrative alongside the Evangelist and solo characters. The one-hour concert will conclude with a performance of Gerald Finzi’s Welcome, Sweet And Sacred Feast.

Coventry Cathedral, Friday 18 April

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SITKOVETSKY TRIO

Since being formed by students at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2007, the Sitkovetsky Piano Trio have accumulated an impressive haul of coveted silverware. 
Comprising violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, pianist Wu Qian and cellist Isang Enders, the uber-talented ensemble visit Malvern to present a concert featuring works by Beethoven (Trio in D Op70 No1 Ghost), Ravel (Trio in A minor), and a new piece by Lena Sierova (Piano Trio). 

Malvern Theatres, Sunday 27 April

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JAMES MCVINNIE ORGAN RECITAL

James McVinnie’s impressive CV includes organ-playing positions at St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. 
Hailed for his innovative programming and captivating musicianship, the talented 42-year-old here presents a lunchtime-concert programme that features compositions by, among others, Ralph Vaughan Williams and JS Bach.  

Birmingham Town Hall, Monday 28 April