About the Venue
The Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is Sheffield’s most intimate and flexible theatre space, designed for bold, imaginative and up-close performances. Located within the Crucible Theatre building on Norfolk Street, this studio theatre is part of the Sheffield Theatres complex and is known for championing new writing, experimental work and Sheffield-made productions. Formerly known as the Studio Theatre, the Playhouse can be reconfigured for each show, creating a unique experience every time you visit.
With seating that flexes from around 100 to 400, the Playhouse offers an immersive atmosphere where audiences are close to the performers and the action. Renamed in 2022 in honour of pioneering theatre designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch, the venue continues her legacy of innovative, audience-focused theatre design. From fringe favourites and local talent to exciting new discoveries, the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is a vital space for creative risk-taking at the heart of Sheffield’s theatre scene.
Key details
Opened: 1971 (rebuilt 1994)
Capacity: Up to 400 (flexible layouts)
Type: Studio theatre
Owner/Operator: Sheffield Theatres
Website: sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Compact but endlessly adaptable, the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is a must-list venue for innovative live performance in Sheffield.
Upcoming Events
A celebratory opening to Sheffield’s Chamber Music Festival 2026
The Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2026 opens in bold, theatrical style with a special Festival Launch concert led by acclaimed soprano Claire Booth and Ensemble 360, at the Playhouse.
Claire Booth — the Festival’s Guest Curator and RPS Singer of the Year 2025 — launches nine days of chamber music, song and high theatre with a striking programme that blends storytelling, drama and celebration.
A powerful opening programme
The evening begins with a compelling one-woman opera by Judith Weir, retelling the story of “the last real Viking”, Harald Hardrada. Intimate, intense and theatrical, this opening sets the tone for a festival that embraces bold ideas and vivid musical storytelling.
Following this, the forces of Ensemble 360 take to the stage with:
Harrison Birtwistle – a highly theatrical procession of musicians
Johannes Brahms – Serenade, a brilliant and much-loved work that brings the concert to a swaggering, celebratory close
Together, the programme offers a joyful and confident opening to the festival — rich in character, colour and musical ambition.
Post-concert celebration
To mark the start of the Festival, all ticket-holders are invited to a free glass of wine or soft drink in the Crucible Bar after the concert — a chance to celebrate, reflect and toast the days of music ahead.
Booking offers
Part of Music in the Round Sheffield:
Save 20% when booking 10 or more concerts in one transaction
Save 10% when booking 5 or more concerts in one transaction
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/festival-launch-2
The Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2026 opens in bold, theatrical style with a special Festival Launch concert led by acclaimed soprano Claire Booth and Ensemble 360, at the Playhouse.
Claire Booth — the Festival’s Guest Curator and RPS Singer of the Year 2025 — launches nine days of chamber music, song and high theatre with a striking programme that blends storytelling, drama and celebration.
A powerful opening programme
The evening begins with a compelling one-woman opera by Judith Weir, retelling the story of “the last real Viking”, Harald Hardrada. Intimate, intense and theatrical, this opening sets the tone for a festival that embraces bold ideas and vivid musical storytelling.
Following this, the forces of Ensemble 360 take to the stage with:
Harrison Birtwistle – a highly theatrical procession of musicians
Johannes Brahms – Serenade, a brilliant and much-loved work that brings the concert to a swaggering, celebratory close
Together, the programme offers a joyful and confident opening to the festival — rich in character, colour and musical ambition.
Post-concert celebration
To mark the start of the Festival, all ticket-holders are invited to a free glass of wine or soft drink in the Crucible Bar after the concert — a chance to celebrate, reflect and toast the days of music ahead.
Booking offers
Part of Music in the Round Sheffield:
Save 20% when booking 10 or more concerts in one transaction
Save 10% when booking 5 or more concerts in one transaction
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/festival-launch-2
A rare collaboration of words, silence and sound
This extraordinary evening explores the profound artistic collaboration between two 20th-century visionaries: composer Morton Feldman and writer Samuel Beckett.
Performed by soprano Claire Booth with Ensemble 360, Feldman & Beckett: Words & Music brings together music, spoken text and theatrical form in a hypnotic exploration of repetition, memory and meaning.
Programme
Feldman – Why Patterns? (30’)
Beckett – Rockabye (20’)
Feldman – Two Intermissions (1950), Nos. 1 & 2 (4’)
Feldman / Beckett – Samuel Beckett, Words and Music (42’)
At the heart of the programme is Samuel Beckett, Words and Music, originally written as a radio play. The work unfolds as a cryptic trialogue between the ailing master Croak and his two servants: Words, spoken by an actor, and Music, expressed through Feldman’s spare, quietly obsessive chamber score. The result is an arresting fusion of sound and speech, tension and stillness.
Directed performance
This concert performance is directed by Vicky Featherstone, former Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre and founding Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, bringing theatrical clarity and sensitivity to this landmark collaboration.
Why attend
A rare live performance of a major Feldman–Beckett collaboration
A striking blend of chamber music, theatre and spoken word
One of the most intellectually and emotionally compelling events of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival
Ideal for lovers of contemporary music, theatre, modernism and experimental performance
Part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival
This concert forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round, celebrating bold artistic ideas and cross-disciplinary performance.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/feldman-beckett
This extraordinary evening explores the profound artistic collaboration between two 20th-century visionaries: composer Morton Feldman and writer Samuel Beckett.
Performed by soprano Claire Booth with Ensemble 360, Feldman & Beckett: Words & Music brings together music, spoken text and theatrical form in a hypnotic exploration of repetition, memory and meaning.
Programme
Feldman – Why Patterns? (30’)
Beckett – Rockabye (20’)
Feldman – Two Intermissions (1950), Nos. 1 & 2 (4’)
Feldman / Beckett – Samuel Beckett, Words and Music (42’)
At the heart of the programme is Samuel Beckett, Words and Music, originally written as a radio play. The work unfolds as a cryptic trialogue between the ailing master Croak and his two servants: Words, spoken by an actor, and Music, expressed through Feldman’s spare, quietly obsessive chamber score. The result is an arresting fusion of sound and speech, tension and stillness.
Directed performance
This concert performance is directed by Vicky Featherstone, former Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre and founding Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, bringing theatrical clarity and sensitivity to this landmark collaboration.
Why attend
A rare live performance of a major Feldman–Beckett collaboration
A striking blend of chamber music, theatre and spoken word
One of the most intellectually and emotionally compelling events of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival
Ideal for lovers of contemporary music, theatre, modernism and experimental performance
Part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival
This concert forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round, celebrating bold artistic ideas and cross-disciplinary performance.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/feldman-beckett
Beethoven at his most joyful, lyrical and life-affirming
Experience an afternoon of radiant chamber music as Ensemble 360 performs three contrasting works by Ludwig van Beethoven, culminating in one of the composer’s most popular and enduring creations — the Septet in E-flat major, Op.20.
Presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, this concert showcases Beethoven’s gift for melody, colour and instrumental interplay, from intimate lyricism to full-bodied ensemble brilliance.
Programme
Violin Sonata in F major ‘Spring’ (26’)
String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4 (24’)
Septet in E-flat major, Op.20 (40’)
The famous ‘Spring’ Sonata opens the concert with optimism and warmth, its singing violin lines and buoyant piano writing among the most recognisable in Beethoven’s output. This is followed by the dramatic and turbulent C minor Quartet, an early work that already hints at the composer’s stormier emotional world.
After the interval comes the Septet, perhaps Beethoven’s most-performed work during his lifetime. Scored for wind and strings, it is a masterclass in instrumental balance and character — from the stately elegance of its opening movement to the exuberant, crowd-pleasing finale that made it a sensation across Europe.
Why this concert stands out
One of Beethoven’s most loved and accessible masterpieces
A rare chance to hear the Septet live in an intimate setting
Ideal for both seasoned classical audiences and first-time concertgoers
Performed by Sheffield’s internationally acclaimed Ensemble 360
Festival context
This concert forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — nine days of world-class chamber music, song and adventurous programming in the heart of Sheffield.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/beethoven-septet
Experience an afternoon of radiant chamber music as Ensemble 360 performs three contrasting works by Ludwig van Beethoven, culminating in one of the composer’s most popular and enduring creations — the Septet in E-flat major, Op.20.
Presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, this concert showcases Beethoven’s gift for melody, colour and instrumental interplay, from intimate lyricism to full-bodied ensemble brilliance.
Programme
Violin Sonata in F major ‘Spring’ (26’)
String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4 (24’)
Septet in E-flat major, Op.20 (40’)
The famous ‘Spring’ Sonata opens the concert with optimism and warmth, its singing violin lines and buoyant piano writing among the most recognisable in Beethoven’s output. This is followed by the dramatic and turbulent C minor Quartet, an early work that already hints at the composer’s stormier emotional world.
After the interval comes the Septet, perhaps Beethoven’s most-performed work during his lifetime. Scored for wind and strings, it is a masterclass in instrumental balance and character — from the stately elegance of its opening movement to the exuberant, crowd-pleasing finale that made it a sensation across Europe.
Why this concert stands out
One of Beethoven’s most loved and accessible masterpieces
A rare chance to hear the Septet live in an intimate setting
Ideal for both seasoned classical audiences and first-time concertgoers
Performed by Sheffield’s internationally acclaimed Ensemble 360
Festival context
This concert forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — nine days of world-class chamber music, song and adventurous programming in the heart of Sheffield.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/beethoven-septet
A voice. A telephone. A love affair unravelling in real time.
Soprano Claire Booth and GRAMMY-winning pianist Christopher Glynn present an intense, semi-staged performance of La Voix Humaine, Francis Poulenc’s searing operatic monodrama.
Set to Jean Cocteau’s ground-breaking text, La Voix Humaine places the audience at the heart of a private conversation — a woman alone, speaking on the telephone to the lover who is leaving her. What unfolds is an emotionally devastating portrait of love, loss and psychological fracture.
Programme
Poulenc – La Dame de Monte Carlo (7’)
Poulenc – Toréador (2’)
Poulenc – Corcardes (6’)
Durey – Trois Chansons Basques (4’)
Auric – Huit Poèmes de Jean Cocteau (19’)
Milhaud – Trois Poèmes de Jean Cocteau, Op.59 (3’)
Poulenc – La Voix Humaine (40’) – semi-staged
The evening opens with a vivid sequence of French songs inspired by Cocteau’s poetry, gradually dissolving the boundaries between recital and opera. By the time La Voix Humaine begins, the audience has been drawn into a world where music, theatre and spoken intimacy become inseparable.
Why this performance is special
A rare semi-staged presentation of Poulenc’s most intimate opera
One of the most psychologically intense works in 20th-century music
Performed by one of the UK’s leading dramatic sopranos
Ideal for audiences interested in opera, theatre, modernism and French culture
Reviews
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“Booth’s expressiveness is so intense, the colours of the voice so beautiful… she makes it wholly unforgettable.”
— The Guardian
Festival context
This performance forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — bringing world-class song, chamber music and cross-artform performance to Sheffield.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/la-voix-humaine
Soprano Claire Booth and GRAMMY-winning pianist Christopher Glynn present an intense, semi-staged performance of La Voix Humaine, Francis Poulenc’s searing operatic monodrama.
Set to Jean Cocteau’s ground-breaking text, La Voix Humaine places the audience at the heart of a private conversation — a woman alone, speaking on the telephone to the lover who is leaving her. What unfolds is an emotionally devastating portrait of love, loss and psychological fracture.
Programme
Poulenc – La Dame de Monte Carlo (7’)
Poulenc – Toréador (2’)
Poulenc – Corcardes (6’)
Durey – Trois Chansons Basques (4’)
Auric – Huit Poèmes de Jean Cocteau (19’)
Milhaud – Trois Poèmes de Jean Cocteau, Op.59 (3’)
Poulenc – La Voix Humaine (40’) – semi-staged
The evening opens with a vivid sequence of French songs inspired by Cocteau’s poetry, gradually dissolving the boundaries between recital and opera. By the time La Voix Humaine begins, the audience has been drawn into a world where music, theatre and spoken intimacy become inseparable.
Why this performance is special
A rare semi-staged presentation of Poulenc’s most intimate opera
One of the most psychologically intense works in 20th-century music
Performed by one of the UK’s leading dramatic sopranos
Ideal for audiences interested in opera, theatre, modernism and French culture
Reviews
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“Booth’s expressiveness is so intense, the colours of the voice so beautiful… she makes it wholly unforgettable.”
— The Guardian
Festival context
This performance forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — bringing world-class song, chamber music and cross-artform performance to Sheffield.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/la-voix-humaine
Myths, monsters and the power of timeless tales
Launching a day of music inspired by myths, legends and fairytales, acclaimed author and storyteller Nicholas Jubberinvites audiences into the strange, beautiful and sometimes dark world of traditional storytelling.
Drawing on his celebrated books The Fairy Tellers (2022) and Monsterland (2025), Jubber explores why folk tales continue to captivate us — and why they so often carry a monstrous edge beneath their magic.
What to expect
This illustrated morning talk weaves together:
Classic myths, legends and fairytales
Their origins and cultural meanings
The enduring appeal of enchanted and unsettling stories
How storytelling continues to shape music, literature and imagination
Through vivid narration and imagery, Jubber reveals how these tales have been passed down, reshaped and reinterpreted across generations — and why they still resonate so strongly today.
Why attend
A perfect introduction to a day themed around myth and legend
Ideal for lovers of folklore, literature and cultural history
Engaging, accessible and richly illustrated storytelling
A rare chance to hear one of the UK’s most thoughtful narrative writers live
Festival context
This event forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round, connecting words, music and imagination across a week of concerts and talks.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/the-art-of-storytelling
Launching a day of music inspired by myths, legends and fairytales, acclaimed author and storyteller Nicholas Jubberinvites audiences into the strange, beautiful and sometimes dark world of traditional storytelling.
Drawing on his celebrated books The Fairy Tellers (2022) and Monsterland (2025), Jubber explores why folk tales continue to captivate us — and why they so often carry a monstrous edge beneath their magic.
What to expect
This illustrated morning talk weaves together:
Classic myths, legends and fairytales
Their origins and cultural meanings
The enduring appeal of enchanted and unsettling stories
How storytelling continues to shape music, literature and imagination
Through vivid narration and imagery, Jubber reveals how these tales have been passed down, reshaped and reinterpreted across generations — and why they still resonate so strongly today.
Why attend
A perfect introduction to a day themed around myth and legend
Ideal for lovers of folklore, literature and cultural history
Engaging, accessible and richly illustrated storytelling
A rare chance to hear one of the UK’s most thoughtful narrative writers live
Festival context
This event forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round, connecting words, music and imagination across a week of concerts and talks.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/the-art-of-storytelling
Music, myths and storytelling for all ages
A magical early evening concert where music and storytelling intertwine, Ensemble 360 is joined by soprano Claire Booth and narrator Nicholas Jubber for a programme inspired by timeless tales, distant lands and daring adventures.
Presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, this concert brings together some of the most evocative story-driven works in the classical repertoire, culminating in one of the best-loved musical tales ever written.
Programme
Debussy – Danse sacrée et profane (10’)
Ravel (arr. Strivens) – Shéhérazade (20’)
Debussy – Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp (16’)
Prokofiev – Peter and the Wolf (30’)
The stories behind the music
At the heart of the programme is Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, narrated live by Nicholas Jubber. This symphonic fairy tale introduces audiences of all ages to the instruments of the orchestra through the fearless Peter’s encounter with a ferocious wolf — thrilling, playful and endlessly engaging.
Ravel’s Shéhérazade, presented here in an intimate chamber arrangement, conjures a dreamlike world of ancient fairytales, lovers and far-off lands, while Debussy’s shimmering music for harp and strings adds colour, atmosphere and a sense of wonder to the journey.
Why this concert is special
A perfect introduction to classical music for families and newcomers
Live narration brings Prokofiev’s story vividly to life
A richly imaginative programme inspired by myth, legend and adventure
Ideal for children, parents and anyone who loves stories told through sound
Festival context
This event forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — a celebration of chamber music, storytelling and cross-artform creativity across the city.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/peter-the-wolf-other-stories
A magical early evening concert where music and storytelling intertwine, Ensemble 360 is joined by soprano Claire Booth and narrator Nicholas Jubber for a programme inspired by timeless tales, distant lands and daring adventures.
Presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, this concert brings together some of the most evocative story-driven works in the classical repertoire, culminating in one of the best-loved musical tales ever written.
Programme
Debussy – Danse sacrée et profane (10’)
Ravel (arr. Strivens) – Shéhérazade (20’)
Debussy – Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp (16’)
Prokofiev – Peter and the Wolf (30’)
The stories behind the music
At the heart of the programme is Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, narrated live by Nicholas Jubber. This symphonic fairy tale introduces audiences of all ages to the instruments of the orchestra through the fearless Peter’s encounter with a ferocious wolf — thrilling, playful and endlessly engaging.
Ravel’s Shéhérazade, presented here in an intimate chamber arrangement, conjures a dreamlike world of ancient fairytales, lovers and far-off lands, while Debussy’s shimmering music for harp and strings adds colour, atmosphere and a sense of wonder to the journey.
Why this concert is special
A perfect introduction to classical music for families and newcomers
Live narration brings Prokofiev’s story vividly to life
A richly imaginative programme inspired by myth, legend and adventure
Ideal for children, parents and anyone who loves stories told through sound
Festival context
This event forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — a celebration of chamber music, storytelling and cross-artform creativity across the city.
🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/peter-the-wolf-other-stories
What is Bird Tunes about?
Bird Tunes is a live folk and chamber music performance inspired by birdsong, presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse in Sheffield city centre.
The concert features a newly composed suite by Miranda Rutter, created from fragments of birdsong recorded during woodland walks. These field recordings are woven into the music, creating an atmospheric blend of live performance and natural sound.
Who is performing?
Miranda Rutter is joined by two of the most respected musicians on the UK folk scene:
Sam Sweeney, described by BBC Radio 3 as “the fiddler with the golden ear”
Rob Harbron, praised by The Guardian as a “concertina wizard”
Together, they combine fiddle, viola and concertina with birdsong recordings to create a rich, immersive listening experience.
Why is this concert special?
As well as celebrating the beauty and complexity of birdsong, Bird Tunes reflects on the pressures faced by migrating birds in a rapidly changing, human-dominated world. The result is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant concert that connects music, nature, and environmental awareness.
Miranda Rutter explains:
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Folk and acoustic music fans
Chamber music audiences
Nature and wildlife enthusiasts
Anyone looking for thoughtful, cultural things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/bird-tunes-miranda-rutter-sam-sweeney-rob-harbron
Bird Tunes is a live folk and chamber music performance inspired by birdsong, presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse in Sheffield city centre.
The concert features a newly composed suite by Miranda Rutter, created from fragments of birdsong recorded during woodland walks. These field recordings are woven into the music, creating an atmospheric blend of live performance and natural sound.
Who is performing?
Miranda Rutter is joined by two of the most respected musicians on the UK folk scene:
Sam Sweeney, described by BBC Radio 3 as “the fiddler with the golden ear”
Rob Harbron, praised by The Guardian as a “concertina wizard”
Together, they combine fiddle, viola and concertina with birdsong recordings to create a rich, immersive listening experience.
Why is this concert special?
As well as celebrating the beauty and complexity of birdsong, Bird Tunes reflects on the pressures faced by migrating birds in a rapidly changing, human-dominated world. The result is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant concert that connects music, nature, and environmental awareness.
Miranda Rutter explains:
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Folk and acoustic music fans
Chamber music audiences
Nature and wildlife enthusiasts
Anyone looking for thoughtful, cultural things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/bird-tunes-miranda-rutter-sam-sweeney-rob-harbron
What is Beethoven & Friends about?
Beethoven & Friends is a chamber music concert that places Ludwig van Beethoven at the centre of a rich musical network, exploring the composers who influenced him, worked alongside him, or were shaped by his ideas.
Performed by the Consone Quartet, this programme sets Beethoven’s music among works by his contemporaries and close musical connections, offering a broader and more revealing picture of his creative world.
Which composers are featured?
The programme includes music by a wide range of composers connected to Beethoven’s life and legacy, including:
Cherubini
Czerny
Haydn
Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn
Hummel
Mayer
Felix Mendelssohn
Reicha
Ries
Together, these works highlight both famous and lesser-known voices, revealing how ideas travelled, evolved, and inspired across generations.
Who is performing and introducing the concert?
The evening is performed by the Consone Quartet, one of the UK’s most highly regarded and approachable chamber ensembles, already warmly received by Sheffield audiences.
The concert is introduced by Dr Katy Hamilton, one of the UK’s most sought-after writers and speakers on classical music. Her spoken introduction will guide the audience through Beethoven’s creative circle, combining historical insight, personal discoveries, and storytelling to bring the music vividly to life.
Why is this concert worth seeing?
Rather than focusing on Beethoven in isolation, Beethoven & Friends places him in context — revealing hidden gems, surprising connections, and fresh perspectives on familiar music. It’s an engaging way to experience classical music in Sheffield, whether you’re a long-time concert-goer or exploring chamber music for the first time.
Who is this event for?
This event will appeal to:
Classical and chamber music fans
Anyone curious about Beethoven beyond the greatest hits
Listeners who enjoy concerts with spoken introductions
Those looking for high-quality things to do in Sheffield in the evening
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/beethoven-friends-2
Beethoven & Friends is a chamber music concert that places Ludwig van Beethoven at the centre of a rich musical network, exploring the composers who influenced him, worked alongside him, or were shaped by his ideas.
Performed by the Consone Quartet, this programme sets Beethoven’s music among works by his contemporaries and close musical connections, offering a broader and more revealing picture of his creative world.
Which composers are featured?
The programme includes music by a wide range of composers connected to Beethoven’s life and legacy, including:
Cherubini
Czerny
Haydn
Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn
Hummel
Mayer
Felix Mendelssohn
Reicha
Ries
Together, these works highlight both famous and lesser-known voices, revealing how ideas travelled, evolved, and inspired across generations.
Who is performing and introducing the concert?
The evening is performed by the Consone Quartet, one of the UK’s most highly regarded and approachable chamber ensembles, already warmly received by Sheffield audiences.
The concert is introduced by Dr Katy Hamilton, one of the UK’s most sought-after writers and speakers on classical music. Her spoken introduction will guide the audience through Beethoven’s creative circle, combining historical insight, personal discoveries, and storytelling to bring the music vividly to life.
Why is this concert worth seeing?
Rather than focusing on Beethoven in isolation, Beethoven & Friends places him in context — revealing hidden gems, surprising connections, and fresh perspectives on familiar music. It’s an engaging way to experience classical music in Sheffield, whether you’re a long-time concert-goer or exploring chamber music for the first time.
Who is this event for?
This event will appeal to:
Classical and chamber music fans
Anyone curious about Beethoven beyond the greatest hits
Listeners who enjoy concerts with spoken introductions
Those looking for high-quality things to do in Sheffield in the evening
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/beethoven-friends-2
What is Kafka Fragments?
Kafka Fragments is an intense and intimate late-evening concert featuring György Kurtág’s extraordinary song cycle Kafka Fragments, presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse.
The work comprises 40 short musical settings drawn from the writings, diaries and letters of Franz Kafka, many of them deeply personal and confessional. Lasting around 60 minutes, the piece unfolds as a sequence of sharply contrasting moments rather than a single continuous narrative.
Who is performing?
The performance is given by two outstanding soloists:
Claire Booth (soprano)
Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin)
Scored solely for soprano and violin, the music demands exceptional precision, emotional range and intimacy between performers — placing the audience very close to the raw expressive core of the work.
What makes this piece special?
Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments is renowned for its sparse, lyrical beauty and emotional intensity. In just a few notes or gestures, it can move from dreamlike surrealism to sharp irony, sardonic humour, and moments of profound vulnerability.
The fragments capture the full scale of the human experience — fleeting thoughts, existential doubt, tenderness, and dark wit — making this one of the most striking and uncompromising works in 20th-century vocal music.
Who is this event for?
This concert will particularly appeal to:
Contemporary and modern classical music fans
Listeners interested in literature-inspired music
Audiences who enjoy intense, late-night performances
Anyone looking for distinctive, thought-provoking things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/kafka-fragments
Kafka Fragments is an intense and intimate late-evening concert featuring György Kurtág’s extraordinary song cycle Kafka Fragments, presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse.
The work comprises 40 short musical settings drawn from the writings, diaries and letters of Franz Kafka, many of them deeply personal and confessional. Lasting around 60 minutes, the piece unfolds as a sequence of sharply contrasting moments rather than a single continuous narrative.
Who is performing?
The performance is given by two outstanding soloists:
Claire Booth (soprano)
Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin)
Scored solely for soprano and violin, the music demands exceptional precision, emotional range and intimacy between performers — placing the audience very close to the raw expressive core of the work.
What makes this piece special?
Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments is renowned for its sparse, lyrical beauty and emotional intensity. In just a few notes or gestures, it can move from dreamlike surrealism to sharp irony, sardonic humour, and moments of profound vulnerability.
The fragments capture the full scale of the human experience — fleeting thoughts, existential doubt, tenderness, and dark wit — making this one of the most striking and uncompromising works in 20th-century vocal music.
Who is this event for?
This concert will particularly appeal to:
Contemporary and modern classical music fans
Listeners interested in literature-inspired music
Audiences who enjoy intense, late-night performances
Anyone looking for distinctive, thought-provoking things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/kafka-fragments
What is This Sceptered Isle: British Song?
This Sceptered Isle: British Song is an afternoon concert celebrating the richness and variety of British vocal and chamber music, performed as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse.
The programme brings together song and chamber works by some of Britain’s most distinctive composers, tracing a line from the influence of Henry Purcell through Benjamin Britten to major modern voices of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Who is performing?
The concert features soprano Claire Booth, praised by The Scotsman for her “radiant, rapturous, wonderfully nuanced performances”, alongside Ensemble 360, one of Sheffield’s leading chamber music groups.
Together, they present a programme that balances expressive song with substantial instrumental works.
What music will be performed?
The programme includes:
Benjamin Britten – Phantasy Quartet
Britten / Purcell – She Loves and She Confesses Too, Oh Solitude, Bess of Bedlam
Colin Matthews – Seascapes (written in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday)
Oliver Knussen – Whitman Settings
William Walton – Piano Quartet
The selection highlights both lyrical intimacy and bold chamber writing, offering a broad portrait of British musical identity.
Why is this concert special?
This programme showcases Claire Booth in repertoire for which she is particularly admired, from Britten’s powerful reimaginings of Purcell to Colin Matthews’ evocative depictions of the sea. Paired with Walton’s expansive Piano Quartet, the concert offers depth, contrast, and a strong sense of national musical character.
It’s an ideal choice for audiences interested in British music, song, and thoughtfully curated chamber concerts in Sheffield.
Who is this event for?
This event will appeal to:
Classical song and chamber music fans
Listeners interested in British composers
Daytime concertgoers
Anyone seeking high-quality cultural things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/this-sceptered-isle-british-song
This Sceptered Isle: British Song is an afternoon concert celebrating the richness and variety of British vocal and chamber music, performed as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival at the Playhouse.
The programme brings together song and chamber works by some of Britain’s most distinctive composers, tracing a line from the influence of Henry Purcell through Benjamin Britten to major modern voices of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Who is performing?
The concert features soprano Claire Booth, praised by The Scotsman for her “radiant, rapturous, wonderfully nuanced performances”, alongside Ensemble 360, one of Sheffield’s leading chamber music groups.
Together, they present a programme that balances expressive song with substantial instrumental works.
What music will be performed?
The programme includes:
Benjamin Britten – Phantasy Quartet
Britten / Purcell – She Loves and She Confesses Too, Oh Solitude, Bess of Bedlam
Colin Matthews – Seascapes (written in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday)
Oliver Knussen – Whitman Settings
William Walton – Piano Quartet
The selection highlights both lyrical intimacy and bold chamber writing, offering a broad portrait of British musical identity.
Why is this concert special?
This programme showcases Claire Booth in repertoire for which she is particularly admired, from Britten’s powerful reimaginings of Purcell to Colin Matthews’ evocative depictions of the sea. Paired with Walton’s expansive Piano Quartet, the concert offers depth, contrast, and a strong sense of national musical character.
It’s an ideal choice for audiences interested in British music, song, and thoughtfully curated chamber concerts in Sheffield.
Who is this event for?
This event will appeal to:
Classical song and chamber music fans
Listeners interested in British composers
Daytime concertgoers
Anyone seeking high-quality cultural things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/this-sceptered-isle-british-song
What is Songs Without Words about?
Songs Without Words is an evening concert devoted to the lyrical heart of Romantic music, exploring how composers shaped instrumental works with a deep sense of vocal expression. The programme is presented at the Playhouse as part of Sheffield’s chamber music season.
At its centre is the music of Felix Mendelssohn, whose Songs Without Words are among the most beloved miniatures of the 19th century — concise, expressive pieces that sing without the need for text.
Which composers are featured?
Alongside Mendelssohn, the programme includes major Romantic-era works by:
Johannes Brahms – Horn Trio
Sergei Rachmaninov – Vocalise (from 14 Romances)
Robert Schumann – Fantasiestücke
Ernst von Dohnányi – Sextet
Together, these works reveal how Romantic composers blurred the line between song and instrumental music, creating pieces of profound emotional depth.
What makes this concert special?
Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words — including the famous Spring Song and Venetian Gondola Song — are paired with larger-scale chamber masterpieces that amplify their lyrical influence.
Brahms’s Horn Trio moves between intimacy and grandeur, Rachmaninov’s Vocalise brings unmistakable poignancy, and Dohnányi’s expansive Sextet closes the evening with passionate, rhapsodic intensity. The result is a richly varied programme that highlights the singing quality at the heart of Romantic chamber music.
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Fans of Romantic classical music
Chamber music enthusiasts
Listeners who enjoy lyrical, expressive instrumental works
Anyone looking for a standout evening of things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/songs-without-words-mendelssohn-brahms-rachmaninov
Songs Without Words is an evening concert devoted to the lyrical heart of Romantic music, exploring how composers shaped instrumental works with a deep sense of vocal expression. The programme is presented at the Playhouse as part of Sheffield’s chamber music season.
At its centre is the music of Felix Mendelssohn, whose Songs Without Words are among the most beloved miniatures of the 19th century — concise, expressive pieces that sing without the need for text.
Which composers are featured?
Alongside Mendelssohn, the programme includes major Romantic-era works by:
Johannes Brahms – Horn Trio
Sergei Rachmaninov – Vocalise (from 14 Romances)
Robert Schumann – Fantasiestücke
Ernst von Dohnányi – Sextet
Together, these works reveal how Romantic composers blurred the line between song and instrumental music, creating pieces of profound emotional depth.
What makes this concert special?
Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words — including the famous Spring Song and Venetian Gondola Song — are paired with larger-scale chamber masterpieces that amplify their lyrical influence.
Brahms’s Horn Trio moves between intimacy and grandeur, Rachmaninov’s Vocalise brings unmistakable poignancy, and Dohnányi’s expansive Sextet closes the evening with passionate, rhapsodic intensity. The result is a richly varied programme that highlights the singing quality at the heart of Romantic chamber music.
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Fans of Romantic classical music
Chamber music enthusiasts
Listeners who enjoy lyrical, expressive instrumental works
Anyone looking for a standout evening of things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/songs-without-words-mendelssohn-brahms-rachmaninov
What is Henny Penny: A Children’s Opera?
Henny Penny: A Children’s Opera is a world-first live staging of new opera and song created for and with children, presented at the Playhouse as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival.
The centrepiece is Henny Penny, a charming operatic retelling of the well-known folk tale in which a young chicken believes the sky is falling after an acorn lands on its head. The story is playful, imaginative, and perfectly pitched for younger audiences encountering opera for the first time.
Who created and performs the opera?
The opera is written by Julian Phillips, the acclaimed composer and Glyndebourne Opera’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence.
The performance features:
Claire Booth
Ensemble 360
A choir made up of children from Sheffield primary schools, performing alongside professional musicians
This collaborative approach places young voices at the heart of the production.
What else is included in the programme?
Alongside Henny Penny (20 minutes), the concert also includes an assorted song cycle (around 30 minutes), featuring original songs created by children as part of a Music in the Round composition project in Sheffield schools.
These songs receive their public premieres at this performance, making the event a genuine celebration of creativity by Sheffield’s youngest musicians.
Why is this event special?
This concert offers children and families a rare chance to experience opera in a way that is:
Accessible
Engaging
Made with young people, not just for them
Audience feedback from a previous children’s opera project described the experience as “really amazing, innovative and inspiring”, highlighting the emotional impact of seeing professionals and children perform together.
Who is this event for?
This event is ideal for:
Families with young children
Primary-school-age audiences
First-time opera-goers
Anyone looking for family-friendly things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/henny-penny-a-childrens-opera
Henny Penny: A Children’s Opera is a world-first live staging of new opera and song created for and with children, presented at the Playhouse as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival.
The centrepiece is Henny Penny, a charming operatic retelling of the well-known folk tale in which a young chicken believes the sky is falling after an acorn lands on its head. The story is playful, imaginative, and perfectly pitched for younger audiences encountering opera for the first time.
Who created and performs the opera?
The opera is written by Julian Phillips, the acclaimed composer and Glyndebourne Opera’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence.
The performance features:
Claire Booth
Ensemble 360
A choir made up of children from Sheffield primary schools, performing alongside professional musicians
This collaborative approach places young voices at the heart of the production.
What else is included in the programme?
Alongside Henny Penny (20 minutes), the concert also includes an assorted song cycle (around 30 minutes), featuring original songs created by children as part of a Music in the Round composition project in Sheffield schools.
These songs receive their public premieres at this performance, making the event a genuine celebration of creativity by Sheffield’s youngest musicians.
Why is this event special?
This concert offers children and families a rare chance to experience opera in a way that is:
Accessible
Engaging
Made with young people, not just for them
Audience feedback from a previous children’s opera project described the experience as “really amazing, innovative and inspiring”, highlighting the emotional impact of seeing professionals and children perform together.
Who is this event for?
This event is ideal for:
Families with young children
Primary-school-age audiences
First-time opera-goers
Anyone looking for family-friendly things to do in Sheffield
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/henny-penny-a-childrens-opera
What is Four Last Songs?
Four Last Songs is the closing evening concert of the festival at the Playhouse, centred on one of the most moving works in the classical repertoire: Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs.
Often described as “a swansong of sublime beauty” (Classic FM), the work reflects on life, love, and farewell, combining radiant orchestral colour with deeply expressive vocal writing.
Who is performing?
The concert features soprano Claire Booth, alongside Ensemble 360, whose long-standing relationship with Sheffield audiences makes them an ideal pairing for this reflective final programme.
What music will be performed?
The programme brings together richly lyrical works from the late Romantic tradition, including:
Richard Strauss – Sextet from Capriccio
Josephine Stephenson Sargen – New work
Jean Sibelius – En Saga (original septet version)
Richard Wagner – Siegfried Idyll
Strauss (arr. Ledger) – Four Last Songs
Together, these pieces create a warm, expansive programme shaped by melody, atmosphere, and emotional depth.
Why is this concert special?
As a festival finale, Four Last Songs offers a sense of culmination and reflection. Sibelius’s En Saga brings fairy-tale imagination, Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll offers intimate lyricism, and Strauss’s Four Last Songs provides a profoundly moving conclusion — music that feels both personal and universal.
The evening closes not only a concert, but a musical journey through song, storytelling, and late-Romantic expression.
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Fans of late-Romantic and lyrical classical music
Listeners drawn to vocal masterpieces
Regular concertgoers and festival audiences
Anyone seeking a memorable evening of things to do in Sheffield
🍷 Post-concert drinks
Friends of Music in the Round are invited to join performers and guests for drinks after the final concert.
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/four-last-songs
Four Last Songs is the closing evening concert of the festival at the Playhouse, centred on one of the most moving works in the classical repertoire: Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs.
Often described as “a swansong of sublime beauty” (Classic FM), the work reflects on life, love, and farewell, combining radiant orchestral colour with deeply expressive vocal writing.
Who is performing?
The concert features soprano Claire Booth, alongside Ensemble 360, whose long-standing relationship with Sheffield audiences makes them an ideal pairing for this reflective final programme.
What music will be performed?
The programme brings together richly lyrical works from the late Romantic tradition, including:
Richard Strauss – Sextet from Capriccio
Josephine Stephenson Sargen – New work
Jean Sibelius – En Saga (original septet version)
Richard Wagner – Siegfried Idyll
Strauss (arr. Ledger) – Four Last Songs
Together, these pieces create a warm, expansive programme shaped by melody, atmosphere, and emotional depth.
Why is this concert special?
As a festival finale, Four Last Songs offers a sense of culmination and reflection. Sibelius’s En Saga brings fairy-tale imagination, Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll offers intimate lyricism, and Strauss’s Four Last Songs provides a profoundly moving conclusion — music that feels both personal and universal.
The evening closes not only a concert, but a musical journey through song, storytelling, and late-Romantic expression.
Who is this event for?
This concert will appeal to:
Fans of late-Romantic and lyrical classical music
Listeners drawn to vocal masterpieces
Regular concertgoers and festival audiences
Anyone seeking a memorable evening of things to do in Sheffield
🍷 Post-concert drinks
Friends of Music in the Round are invited to join performers and guests for drinks after the final concert.
🎟 Tickets and full event details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/four-last-songs