Concluding its season at Kings Place, Aurora Orchestra celebrates women pioneers past and present in the company of pianist Angela Hewitt and cellist Natalie Clein.

One of the world’s most celebrated pianists, Angela Hewitt makes her debut with the orchestra in Mozart’s effervescent Piano Concerto No. 22, bringing her illuminating and thoughtful artistry to this radiant work.

Louise Farrenc was a towering figure in the musical landscape of 19th-century France, achieving the distinction of being the first female Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire (where she successfully fought for equal pay with her male counterparts). Yet despite being admired by such luminaries as Berlioz and Schumann, Farrenc’s music was relatively unknown after her death, and has only recently begin to enjoy the prominence it deserves.

Farrenc’s early fight for equal opportunities symbolised a wider struggle for female professional recognition. In this programme, Aurora sparks a dialogue across the centuries between her overlooked Third Symphony – muscular, ambitious and expressive – and a new work for cello and strings by Charlotte Bray, commissioned to mark the centenary of the landmark legislation paving the way for women to enter professional life in the UK.

Find out more here.