Earlier this month, I had the great pleasure of conducting the BBC Singers in concert with the acclaimed Nigerian-Scottish trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo and pianist Dominika Mak at Milton Court Concert Hall.
Together, we presented Serenity — a radiant programme inviting audiences into a world of wonder, exploring the trumpet’s capacity for expressive depth: from the shimmer of moonlight to a blaze of sunshine.
Featuring works by contemporary composers including Deborah Pritchard, Ola Gjeilo, Shruthi Rajasekar and Nico Muhly, the programme wove together themes of nature, the heavens, and the eternal. Anchored by the luminous sound of the trumpet — at times soaring, at times intimate — the concert also included evocative music for choir and piano by Eleanor Daley and Ēriks Ešenvalds.
My heartfelt thanks to the BBC Singers and all who joined us at Milton Court for this memorable collaboration.

PROGRAMME
Deborah PRITCHARD Benedicite
Eleanor DALEY Paradise
Shruthi RAJASEKAR Sat on the shore
Ola GJEILO Serenity (O magnum mysterium)
Nico MUHLY Three Moon Songs
Emily HAZRATI The World Turns
Eric WHITACRE Her sacred spirit soars
James MACMILLAN In splendoribus sanctorum
Cheryl FRANCES-HOAD Beyond the night sky
Eriks EŠENVALDS Only in sleep
Owain PARK Antiphon for the Angels