Hackney Empire has announced an exciting new partnership with the acclaimed City of London Sinfonia (CLS), bringing the New Frontiers concert season to East London across 2025–26.
This collaboration marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the two organisations, united by a shared mission to make world-class cultural experiences accessible to local communities.
Spanning four concerts, New Frontiers invites audiences to explore orchestral music through storytelling, adventure and immersive performance.
A standout moment in the season will be Trailblazers on 22 October, featuring six young dancers from Hackney Empire’s Creative Futures programme. Choreographed by Shay Barclay, the dancers will perform a brand-new piece live alongside the orchestra.
The season opens with Explorers on 17 September, a cinematic concert conducted by Chloe Rooke, featuring music from Jurassic Park, Moana, Indiana Jones, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
On 6 November, From Dusk ’til Dawn will be staged at Hackney Church, offering a reflective journey through nightscapes with music by Debussy, Messiaen, William Herschel and Hannah Kendall.
The season concludes on 13 March 2026 with The Exoplanets, a groundbreaking collaboration with theatre company curious directive. Inspired by NASA data, this production blends classical music and theatre to explore themes of love, imagination and connection.
Audiences booking all four concerts will receive a 10% discount.
Jo Hemmant, Executive Director and CEO of Hackney Empire, said:
“We are thrilled to be working with City of London Sinfonia on this series of concerts over the coming year. At Hackney Empire we believe that everyone should be able to experience and create extraordinary art and culture, and this partnership allows us to showcase the next generation of artists. The involvement of our Creative Futures dancers in Trailblazers is a perfect example of how young people in Hackney can connect with world-class musicians and create something extraordinary together.”
More information can be found here.
