The Classical Music Series 2025-2026 at JW3 the vibrant music scene Finchley Road, NW3

JW3’s The Classical Music Series 2025-2026 season, with a breathtaking line up of six new concerts, including four concerts of chamber music combinations never heard before. The new season opens on Tuesday 30 September at 7.30pm with the pianist Dame Imogen Cooper. William Galinsky, JW3’s Director of Programming says "We are once again thrilled to be working with the music artist and cellist David Waterman on another stunning season of classical music at JW3. There is a special connection for Jewish audiences with classical music. This has quickly established JW3 as a unique and intimate venue for chamber concerts, with a programme of major artists and rising stars from the classical music world." Opening JW3’s season (30/09/25), one of the greatest musicians England has produced, Dame Imogen Cooper will be treating the audience to a recital centred round two sets of her famous interpretations of Schubert Impromptus interlaced with Bach chorales and Beethoven Bagatelles. A vibrant second concert with a thrilling programme (30/10/25), the heavenly voice of rising star mezzosoprano Helen Charlston, singing alongside the delicate and sensitive arch lutenist Segio Buchell and exquisite viola da gamba and cello player Jonathan Manson. The youthful trio are perfectly matched and will play a riveting concert of early music including a complete Handel Cantata and profoundly moving works by Purcell, Dowland, Marais, Kapsberger, Charpentier and more. A treat in November, with Four Hands recital (16/11/25) with Mishka Rushdie Momen and Alasdair Beatson sharing one piano for this unusual and beautifully conceived programme. From Schubert to Ravel, Rachmaninov, Brahms and Dvorak, to an arrangement of Bach by contemporary composer Kurtag – all masters of four-hand composing. The first concert of 2026 (15/01/26) bursts into play with the young rising international stars Fionacci Quartet.In 2024 they made history by becoming the only ensemble ever to win both First and Audience prizes at the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition, Italy. A supremely melodious and full-hearted concert of String Sextets; the Fibonacci Quartet will be joined by Luba Tunnicliffe (viola) and David Waterman (cello) to play sextets by Strauss, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky. A rare opportunity to hear these three late Romantic era pieces together. Concert five (12/02/26) in The Classical Music Series at JW3 will be a Piano Trio concert with Maria Włoszczowska, the young Polish violinist who is fast building a terrific international reputation with her liveliness, outstanding finesse, imagination and very individual interpretations. The concert opens with Mendelssohn’s marvellously fresh F major violin and piano sonata with the charismatic Alasdair Beatson on piano. They will then be joined by cellist David Waterman for trio masterpieces by Schumann and Brahms. The final concert in the season (04/03/26) performing on stage for the first time together in Quartet with additional Viola will be the outstandingly expressive violinist, Sini Simonen (leader of the Castalian String Quartet); the marvellously poetic violinist Alessandro Ruisi (until recently was the first violinist of the Ruisi Quartet); the brilliant Austrian-based violist Sào Soulez Larivière; the richly gifted violist Luba Tunnicliffe and cellist David Waterman (Endellion Quartet) the exemplary curator of the whole JW3 season. The evening opens with a wonderful little-known rarity from late Beethoven, and Mozart’s exceptionally expressive Quintet in G minor – Mozart being the first composer to realise the great potential of adding an extra viola to the string quartet. Bruckner’s rare chamber music Adagio and Brahms String Quintet will wrap up a glorious season finale.