Wigmore Hall is to re-open to the public on May 17, following the next stage in relaxing restrictions in England taking effect.

The renowned London venue has resounded to music-making throughout much of the past year, working within the rules to offer more than 200 streamed and broadcast concerts by 360 artists, reaching over 6 millions viewers and listeners worldwide - as well as, during a previous period of lighter restrictions last year, performances to small and socially-distanced audiences. 

May 17, however, will see the return of audiences once again, with a 25-concert festival running until June 3, and featuring artists including singers Louise Alder, Alice Coote, Roderick Williams and Mary Bevan, clarinetist Michael Collins, the Doric and Heath Quartets, pianists Angela Hewitt, Stephen Hough, Sir András Schiff and Dame Mitsuko Uchida, and cellist Steven Isserlis. The festival will also include a major celebration of the Hall’s 120th Anniversary on May 31 featuring recently appointed Associate Ensemble, Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, led by violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster.

Tickets for all 25 concerts in the re-opening festival will be available initially through a ballot to Friends of Wigmore Hall, which can be joined for £50 a year, and seating capacity will be determined by government announcements in the coming weeks. A number of the concerts will be streamed on Wigmore Hall's website, and some broadcast by BBC Radio 3.

As well as the reopening festival, the venue has also today named nine new Associate Artists: composer/performer Nitin Sawhney, sarod players Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, viola player Lawrence Power, soprano Gweneth Ann Rand, saxophonist Trish Clowes, vocal and movement artist Elaine Mitchener, and jazz bassist Christian McBride. A five-year commitment to each Associate Artist will see them being presented at least once every season.

There is also a new partnership with the African Concert Series founded by pianist pianist Rebeca Omordia. And in tribute to one of the finest singers of the past century, the Wigmore Hall's green room is to be renamed the ‘Jessye Norman Green Room’.

Wigmore Hall will also present a week-long Learning Festival, with the theme of ‘Connectivity’, aiming to connect people through music after a year of much separation, and featuring concerts, an online art installation and family events.

Reflecting on today's announcements, Director of Wigmore Hall John Gilhooly, said, ‘Since its auspicious opening in 1901, Wigmore Hall has become the international headquarters of chamber music with a diverse roster of artists and repertoire. At this time of renewal, we are keen to continue our search for new and unjustly neglected voices on stage. I am particularly looking forward to our Learning Festival, which explores how the pandemic has challenged but also strengthened our sense of community.'

For full details, visit Wigmore Hall's website.