CROSSCURRENTS: GWILYM SIMCOCK & FRIENDS

Gwilym Simcock, Claire Booth & Ensemble 360

Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Saturday 16 May 2026, 7.15pm

Tickets:
£23
£14 UC, PIP & DLA
£5 Students & Under 35s

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DEBUSSY (arr. Simcock) ‘Children’s Corner’ (30’)
GRAINGER (arr. Simcock)
Bold William Taylor (4′)
Twa Corbies (3′)
Hard Hearted Barb’ra Ellen (6′)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (arr. Simcock) Infinite Shining Heavens (2′)
GRIEG (arr. Simcock) Haugtussa Op.67 III. Blåbaer-Li (2′)
FAURÉ (arr. Simcock)
Après un Rêve (3′)
Au bord L’eau (2′)
DEBUSSY (arr. Simcock) Nuits d’étoiles (2′)
SCHOENBERG (arr. Simcock) Nun sag ich dir zum ersten Mal (4′)
LEVENT/HEYMAN (arr. Simcock) Blame It On My Youth (4′)
WEILL (arr. Simcock) My Ship (4′)

Gilym Simcock, the “jaw-droppingly exciting” pianist (The Guardian) and jazz superstar is celebrated for his ability to move effortlessly between jazz and classical music.  

For one night only, Gwilym and his band of incredible jazz musicians are joined by world-class classical artists for what promises to be a hugely entertaining evening. His phenomenal talent breathes new jazz-inspired life into award-winning makeovers of classical music. This thrilling evening gives a fresh take on Debussy’s ‘Children’s Corner’ and other classics. 

Gwilym has toured extensively with the cream of international jazz artists including Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland and Pat Metheny. His high-profile collaborations with the classical world include a rapturously-received late-night BBC Prom with the classical virtuoso Nigel Kennedy, performing a jazz-infused version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

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DEBUSSY Claude, Children’s Corner

IV. The Snow is Dancing
II. Jimbo’s Lullaby
V. The Little Shepherd
III. Serenade for the Doll

 

Dedicated to ‘my dear little Chou-Chou, with her father’s tender excuses for what follows’, Children’s Corner was written in 1908 and dedicated to his daughter Claude-Emma. However, it was never intended as a piece for children to play, and the suite was introduced to the Parisian musical public by the virtuoso pianist Harold Bauer on 18 December 1908. Aside from its technical demands, another reason why this is not really ‘children’s’ music is its sophisticated use of parody and quotation. There’s a rather tragic postscript to the story of the dedication: Chou-Chou died aged only fourteen, a year after Debussy himself.

 

© Nigel Simeone

“Gwilym Simcock’s prodigious creations on the piano straddle the border between classical and jazz to mesmerising effect… a stupendous improviser and a remarkable musician all round.”

The Observer

About the Artists

Gwilym Simcock

Gwilym Simcock has carved out a career as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene.  He moves effortlessly between jazz and classical music, with a ‘harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions’. Gwilym has been hailed as a pianist of ‘exceptional’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘dazzling’ ability, and his music has been widely acclaimed as ‘engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex yet hugely accessible’, and above all ‘wonderfully optimistic’.

Gwilym’s influences are wide ranging, from jazz legends including Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, to classical composers including Maurice Ravel, Henri Dutilleux, Béla Bartók and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Although principally a jazz artist, Gwilym has composed numerous works for larger Classical ensemble that combine through-composed elements with improvisation, creating a sound that is distinctive and very much his own. Read more

Claire Booth

“An actor-singer who can raise the dramatic heat as soon as she enters the stage” (Opera Now), “that most questing, resourceful and intelligent of sopranos” (Daily Telegraph), British soprano Claire Booth has been widely acclaimed for her “radiant, rapturous, wonderfully nuanced performances” and voice of “piercing purity [and] luscious richness” (The Scotsman). She is renowned for her breadth of repertoire, and for the vitality and musicianship that she brings to the operatic stage and concert platform, with a versatility that encompasses repertoire spanning from Monteverdi and Handel, through Rossini, Berg and Britten, to a fearless commitment to the music of the present day. Booth has won the 2025 RPS Singer Award with the jury celebrating an artistry that “knows no bounds.” Read more.

Ensemble 360 musicians

Ensemble 360

Ensemble 360 has gained an enviable reputation across the UK for the quality and integrity of their performances. Formed in 2005, eleven musicians of international standing came together to take up residency in South Yorkshire with Music in the Round, establishing a versatile group comprising five string players, five wind players and a pianist.  Get a glimpse of them in performance here.

The Ensemble 360 musicians share a passion for the music which radiates through each performance. Their enthusiasm, drive and musicality captivate audiences both through the quality of their playing and their engaging spoken introductions. Due to the flexible nature of the group’s line-up the repertoire possibilities are enormous; anything from baroque duos, through classical quartets to new commissions for all eleven players.