Four members of the Heath Quartet sitting on vintage furniture in an industrial-style room with bare brick wall and exposed wooden flooring. There is an oversized clock on the wall behind them showing the time at half past nine. They are lit by natural light from a window that's out of shot on our right hand side. From left to right, there is a lady with shoulder-length brown hair holding a violin and wearing a plain black long-sleeve top, black trousers and black heels. Next to her is a man with short dark hair and facial hair, he is also holding a violin and wearing all black long sleeve top, jeans and black shoes. Next to him is a woman with long wavy mousey-brown hair. She is wearing a plain black long-sleeve top and trousers with black shoes and also holding a violin. Next to her is a main with short dark hair, he is wearing a plain black long-sleeve top and black jeans and shoes. His cello is resting against his side. — Credit Kaupo Kikkas

The Heath Quartet launch a new era of Coffee Concerts at the Corn Exchange

Thu 2nd Nov 2023

Classical Music, Coffee Concerts, News, Events, Classical Music

Our Coffee Concerts are feeling extra special this year. Not only are they returning to the newly refurbished Corn Exchange, but the multi-award-winning Heath Quartet, who first launched the much-loved series, are kicking off the 2023/24 series.

With five awe-inspiring ensembles performing our Autumn/Winter programme, each season of Coffee Concerts features a mixture of renowned classical ensembles and up and coming musicians playing some of the world’s most beautiful classical music.

The members standing in a side street with their instruments and smiling

The Heath Quartet told us they are “thrilled about returning to the Corn Exchange to give the first concert in this new phase of its history... We couldn't ask for a more perfect backdrop to a programme of music that builds in complexity, starting with less well-known works by Bach, Haydn and Suk, and ending with Ravel's famous quartet - one of our favourites!”

The perfect match

What makes this intimate and informal concert series so perfect for the venue are the acoustics and ambience created from the natural light and acoustic setting. Audiences can enjoy drinks and snacks from the new Gallery Bar while soaking up the welcoming and informal atmosphere of these recitals; this is a Sunday morning event through and through!

No expert? No problem!

One of the wonderful things about Coffee Concerts is that the programme is tailored to welcome classical music newbies, young children and young people as well as the seasoned listeners who can immediately distinguish Bach from Beethoven.

Free tickets are also available to anyone aged between 8 and 25 years old via the Cavatina Scheme.

A string to each of their bows

Here's a quick run-down of the events have to offer...

Heath Quartet: spanning different classical music periods featuring some of the most difficult and iconic pieces for a quartet featuring scores by, Bach, Haydn and Ravel.

Adelphi Quartet: a meditative and melancholic collection of pieces, featuring scores by Haydn, Shostakovich and Beethoven.

Castalian String Quartet: embracing the feisty and adventurous, expect new jazz-inspired work by Mark-Anthony Turnage plus scores by Janáček and Bartok.

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective: exhilarating pieces to inspire the next generation of classical musicians, featuring scores by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Edward Elgar, Louise Héritte-Viardot and Johannes Brahms.