Ronnie Scott's Classical All Stars: The Art of Song

Everybody loves a good melody, and some of the greatest pieces of music began as simple songs. The Ronnie Scott's Classical All Stars bring together strings, piano and voices for an evening that moves between classical and jazz, with familiar works given a new setting.

Led by James Pearson and Lizzie Ball, the ensemble will be joined by Berlin-based mezzo-soprano Vanessa Heine, whose musical life spans opera, oratorio, consort singing and recital work. A distinguished interpreter of German Lieder and Russian art song, Vanessa has performed with the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Monteverdi Choir, BBC Singers and Gabrieli Consort. She will perform operatic arias alongside Schubert, Rachmaninov and Hahn, with Pearson’s arrangements adding strings to Schubert’s intimate voice-and-piano settings.

Acclaimed vocalist Natalie Williams brings another side of the programme, with classical works that have become jazz standards, including My Reverie, originally a piano piece by Debussy. Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess will be heard in its original operatic form before being given a jazz treatment, with vocal duets, trios and a few surprises along the way.

“The kind of evening that reminds you why live music, played by people who clearly love playing it together, still beats anything else on a Monday night.”
— A Young(ish) Perspective