Bath Orchestral Gala Concert | Box Office | King Edward's School, Bath

As part of Year 2 of our Triennial Music Programme, which places a special focus on choral music, we are delighted to feature the KES24 (our auditioned chamber choir), a solo soprano within our resident composer’s new work The Tree of Life, in addition to our three instrumental concerto soloists who will enjoy the special opportunity of being accompanied by Bath Philharmonia playing:   

• Hoffmeister’s expressive Viola Concerto 
• Mozart’s brilliant Piano Concerto No. 13 
• And Elgar’s iconic Cello Concerto 

Our 2026 theme, Voices of Change, celebrates music’s power to inspire progress, challenge tradition, highlight injustice, reflect on social movements and tell the stories that shape our world and offer hope for the future.  

The concert opens with Joan Tower’s exhilarating Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, quickly followed by the vibrant first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, a boundary-pushing work that flashed glimpses into a new musical era. 

The programme also includes music rooted in powerful social narratives. Ethel Smyth’s March of the Women stands as a defining anthem of the suffragette movement, while Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Othello Suite represents triumph over racial barriers. From contemporary theatre, Adrian Sutton’s Polperro Beach offers a tender reflection on individuality and acceptance. 

Innovation takes centre stage with Paul Desmond’s metrically groundbreaking jazz classic Take Five, and we are delighted to premiere Tree of Life, a brand-new work by our Composer in Residence, Mark David Boden. The evening concludes celebrating people with visions of a better future: John Lennon’s timeless message, Imagine, and Cynthia Erivo’s powerful Stand Up! from the film, Harriet, which honours the inspirational abolitionist, Harriet Tubman.   

Through our ever evolving 13-year partnership with Bath’s professional orchestra, Bath Philharmonia, we are thrilled to welcome this year’s guest conductor, Rebecca Miller. 

California born and internationally acclaimed, Rebecca Miller is celebrated for her energetic, insightful musicianship and her compelling presence on the podium. A passionate advocate for overlooked female composers, she brings fresh, imaginative interpretations to orchestras around the world. Her distinguished career includes major posts such as Chief Conductor of the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra and Director of Orchestras at Royal Holloway, University of London. We are honoured to have her lead this year’s Gala Concert.