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Philip Thomas plays at five40five
Philip Thomas29th April 2008
Sheffield City Hall, Ballroom.
5.45pm
All tickets - £5

With three quarters of the five40five series completed, the City Hall's early evening classical music concerts have delighted audiences with some of the world's greatest musicians including the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philarmonic Orchestra and Bhupinder Singh Chaggar. The next concert on April 29th, offers something from a little closer to home as local musician, Philip Thomas will satisfy concert goers with his mix of piano music from more modern composers, including John Cage, Alvin Curran and Laurence Crane.

Originally from Devon but now living in Sheffield, Philip Thomas presents his music in his own informal style with conversational introductions to the iconic music of the 21st century. Talking about the pieces, Philip said "This piano concert will showcase some of the best cutting edge contemporary music."

Philip is keen to assure the audience that you don't have to be a regular classical music go-er to appreciate this music, ‘It's not the kind of music that you need a vast experience in to appreciate and many parallels can be found with film and the visual arts."

The John Cage piece, Prelude for Meditation; Spontaneous Earth will explore beauty through sound and in addition to John Cage, Philip will play Alvin Curran's Inner Cities 2, Christopher Fox's Republican Bagatelles, John Lely's All About the Piano, Alvin Lucier's Music for Magnetic Strings and Alvin Curran's inner Cities 2. 

Philip specialises in performing new and experimental music, including notated and improvised music. He places emphasis on turning each concert into a unique event designing imaginative programmes that provoke and suggest connections. Philip is a regular pianist with leading experimental music group Apartment House and often performs in festivals across the UK and Europe but regularly premieres his concerts in Sheffield. "I always like to play my concerts for the first time in Sheffield" said Philip. "In 2001 I played 3 concerts of John Cage's music at the Mappin Art Gallery - there was a fantastic atmosphere, with a good mix of people and it was great to share the music with my community and take them on a voyage of discovery through the music. I hope we'll be doing something similar in the City Hall ballroom on the 29th!"

five40five is a series of twelve contemporary classical concerts, all held in the spectacular Ballroom at Sheffield City Hall. Commencing at 5.45pm these stylish events offer an early evening entertainment option in a relaxed atmosphere. The informal style is accompanied by music that is performed by some of the finest soloists and world class orchestras and tickets are only £5. City Hall General Manager, Dominic Stokes is delighted with the first season, commenting on the concerts so far he said

"The first season of five40five has been excellent - as its progressed we've seen the attendance grow steadily and it's great to see some younger faces coming to the City Hall to enjoy classical music in a more informal atmosphere. We're already putting plans together for the next season which will start again in February next year".

five40five audiences hear a mix of classical masterworks and contemporary compositions, with some improvised on the spot. Guests are informed about the music, its origins and influence, which is great news for audiences unfamiliar with but curious about classical music and contemporary sounds. The diversity of styles is designed to broaden musical horizons and the programme offers both a mix of traditional and world music.

For more information on five40five - click on www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/five40five