Writer & Historian, Nino Strachey shines new light on the history of the Bloomsbury Group in the 1920s, revealing a second generation of queer young creatives whose accepting attitudes and freedom of expression were unprecedented in their time. The lives and stories of these young people provide context and perspective into our modern world, where queer people are still fighting for respect and recognition.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to Lisa Azarmi about An Apothecary of Art, founder of social media sensation Ravenous Butterflies.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to musician, Aida Lahlou 

Embark on a journey of mystery and discovery. There is music from Central Asia, South America, North America, Scotland, Spain, and more. Music that harks back to ancient times and traditions, and music that brings us back to the present. Music that shows the versatility of the piano as an instrument through different sound worlds and musical traditions.

In this recital, Aïda uses a lesser-known repertoire to tell the story of Ravel’s Miroirs in a new way. Using intertextual links between adjacent pieces in the programme, new meanings are suggested, and a narrative thread emerges that weaves all the pieces together.

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to Marianne Nichols about the hidden history of the Foundling Hospital. In a quiet corner of Bloomsbury, the Foundling Hospital stood there for 200 years. The hospital was an early social experiment to rescue ‘foundlings’ from poverty and death on the streets of Georgian London, and it attracted eminent benefactors and raised thousands of children. But life for the foundlings was not so kind.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to writer Rez Kabir about “The Two Headed Bird”, presented by Tamarind theatre company who presents theatre storytelling for the whole family, with puppetry, music, song and dance.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to Paul Salt & Kat Haylett about Young Voices - a showcase of short films by young filmmakers exploring the theme of ‘Growth’. These works capture moments in lives of the filmmakers, as they grow as people, or as the environment shifts and changes around them, often in unpredictable ways. The essay films question our relationship to science, royalty, popular culture, even the transport links connecting us. These films urge us to consider how the city of London itself affects the personal and societal growth of each of its residents and visitors. 

Bloomsbury Radio chat to Rowenna Mortimer about “The Morphea”. Morphea’s home is the canal, but her peace is being disturbed...

Presented by Bloomsbury Festival as part of the New Wave programme, a platform for emerging talent.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to Ana Bursac about the piano works of Serbian Contemporary Composers

Bloomsbury Radio chat to actor, Theo Hristov (and the production team) about Petrichor, a radio play that aired on Bloomsbury Radio. 

Stella and Alex storm into each other’s lives one summer night at a warehouse rave in Peckham. They’re both seventeen and from London. But that’s where the similarities end. And tonight’s different. Tonight there’s a vote. Tonight history’s being written around them. And history has other plans.

Bloomsbury Radio chat to musicians Lorena Cantó and Yvain Calvo.

Composers have long been inspired by the beauty of nature, and this can be seen in the works of many great composers throughout history.

The music of Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten shows an intense love for nature, evident in their compositions’ stylistic and melodic structures. This love for nature has its roots in earlier British music, such as the songs of John Dowland, which feature pastoral and bucolic motifs that invite reflection on the symbolism found in the natural world. During the First World War, this love for nature took on a new significance and many composers used their music as a means of reflecting on the destruction wrought by the war, exploring themes of loss, grief, and the struggle for hope and renewal.

The music from Dowland, Bridge and Britten show a deepening sense of humanity’s interconnectedness with the natural world, and how that relationship affects the way we see our lives and the societies we build. The programme will include an original silent film created by Radu Rojas to accompany Bridge’s cello sonata.

Duo Fabulae is a viola and piano duo formed by Guildhall School of Music & Drama alumni Lorena Cantó and Yvain Calvo.

A project kindly supported by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.