Special guests Kim Criswell and Jamie Parker have been announced to join John Wilson on his UK tour with the Sinfonia of London Orchestra, performing the golden age of Hollywood’s greatest hits. Also announced is a matinee show at The Sage in Gateshead – John’s hometown – on 11th November.
Kim Criswell has been on stage, singing and acting professionally for more than 40 years. From the West End to Broadway, Kim has brought the classic American songbook, an enduring canon of the most influential American popular songs and Jazz standards, to venues across the globe, in both symphony settings and recital.
A legendary musical entertainer and actress, Kim has performed at Buckingham Palace, La Scala Milan, Carnegie Recital Hall New York, Royal Albert Hall and has sung with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, from the Berlin Philharmonic to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Also joining the 11-date tour will be multi award-winning actor and singer Jamie Parker. As a performer, his musical talents have shone in roles including Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, and as Mike Connor in High Society at the Old Vic, the character originally played by Frank Sinatra in the film. Parker has also performed live at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms performing Frank Sinatra classics.
Best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play, Jamie was also the recipient of an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his performance in The Cursed Child. Jamie has made multiple appearances in BBC audio dramas as well as a reader for Book at Bedtime and Book of the Week.
Wilson relaunched this famous orchestra in 2018 for special concerts and recording projects, giving two acclaimed televised BBC Proms performances in 2021 and 2022. Described as ‘astonishingly brilliant, with Hollywood-dream glories in the string sound’, Sinfonia of London includes a significant number of principals and leaders from UK and international orchestras, alongside notable soloists and members of distinguished chamber groups.
The tour will bring the lush musical splendour of the silver screen to life, including classics such as Singin’ in the Rain, Over the Rainbow, S’Wonderful, High Society, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, That’s Entertainment and many more.
Of the tour, John Wilson says:
“I am thrilled to be taking Sinfonia of London on the road with our new show Hollywood’s Greatest Hits - an evening of hit songs everyone will know and love from the Golden Age of Hollywood movie musicals - all played by our hand-picked 70 piece orchestra and guest singers. We look forward to seeing you all throughout the land at our favourite UK venues”.
Sinfonia of London rose to fame in the 1950s as the leading recording orchestra of the day, featuring members of the most famous musical ensembles of the day who created an orchestra of outstanding virtuosity. They appeared in the musical credits of more than 300 British and American films, including the 1958 soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann for Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and on countless gramophone records, including celebrated discs with Sir Colin Davis and Sir John Barbirolli.
In the 1980s, Sinfonia of London recorded the music for the animated children’s classic The Snowman and went on to record many soundtracks for major Hollywood films, including ‘Batman’, ‘The Mummy Returns’, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’, ‘Lost in Space’, ‘The Lawnmower Man’, ‘Stargate’, ‘Tombstone’, ‘RoboCop’ and ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’. The orchestra also worked extensively in the field of TV, video gaming and pop tours.
Since their relaunch in 2018 by John Wilson, the orchestra have released 11 albums, to outstanding critical and commercial acclaim, winning a record 3 consecutive BBC Music Magazine Awards and a recent Gramophone Award.
In demand at the highest level across the globe performing with the most respected orchestras in the UK and beyond, conductor John Wilson is no stranger to the music of the big band era and Hollywood film musicals, having given countless concerts and television broadcasts of classic film scores and musicals over the past three decades.
Born in Gateshead, Wilson studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music where in 2011 he was made a Fellow. Amongst his recent achievements include being awarded the prestigious ISM Distinguished Musician Award for his services to music and in 2021 he was appointed Henry Wood Chair of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music.
Tour Dates:
4th November Basingstoke Anvil
5th November Brighton Dome
6th November London Royal Albert Hall
7th November Cardiff St. David’s Hall
9th November Birmingham Symphony Hall
11th November Gateshead Sage ! MATINEE and EVENING shows
12th November Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
13th November Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
14th November Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
15th November Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Tickets at venue box offices and ticketline.co.uk