Whilst we might not be performing every month, we are always busy preparing for future concerts. After a busy April and May with Mahler 8 and a Messiah, we are now starting rehearsals for a very exciting Prom that we are thrilled to be singing in on 18th August with the BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, under the baton of our esteemed President Sir Mark Elder.
Completed in 1905, A Mass of Life by English composer Frederick Delius is an epic cantata, written for four soloists, orchestra and a double choir, and in which you will hear some of his most virile and exultant music alongside passages of profoundly hypnotic and static calm. The piece, based on Friedrich Nietzsche’s prose-poem Thus Spoke Zarathustra, is rarely performed so now would be a good time to book tickets for this uplifting piece which has been described as the composer’s “grandest project”. We’ll be telling you more about this exciting Prom in our August blog but we thought we’d share this heads up on it now, especially as we will be performing with great soloists including our LPC friend, baritone Roderick Williams OBE, singing as Zarathustra.
In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s new Artistic Director who starts working with them this month. Spanish-born Jesús Herrera joins the Orchestra from Intermusica, where he has been Director, Creative Partnerships & Projects, having returned to the agency in April 2024 after a previous spell as an Artist Manager between 2018 and 2020. At Intermusica, Herrera has been part of the senior leadership team collaborating on overall operations and strategic development, whilst overseeing projects with orchestras and festivals internationally.
Prior to his return to Intermusica, Herrera was General Manager and Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (OSCyL) and Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes in Valladolid. During his time there, Herrera played a pivotal role in shaping their artistic vision. Under his leadership, he introduced a dynamic artistic team, including Chief Conductor Thierry Fischer and Artistic Partners Elim Chan and Vasily Petrenko. His tenure also saw the launch of several ground-breaking initiatives, such as artist residencies, the creation of a new Chamber Music and Recital Series, the initiation of the OSCyL Youth Orchestra, and a new conducting competition. Additionally, Herrera expanded the orchestra’s international profile, creating a new partnership with Signum Records and taking it to venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. Committed to dynamic programming, he developed collaborative projects with members of OSCyL and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and Vienna Philharmonic, while also spearheading major co-commissions with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, BBC Radio 3, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony.
Herrera studied in Paris and Salzburg, where he graduated in Piano Performance, Music & Musicology, and Music Administration & Management. After actively performing for several years, he transitioned to music management, developing multiple entrepreneurial and social initiatives as a freelance project manager in his early career. As Artistic Director, Herrera will work alongside the LPO’s CEO David Burke, as well as in close artistic collaboration with Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis and Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski. Bienvenido Jesús! We’re looking forward to meeting and working with you.
Come and hear us
Monday 18th August 2025
7.30pm, Royal Albert Hall
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Jennifer Davis soprano
Claudia Huckle contralto
David Butt Philip tenor
Roderick Williams baritone
BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Chorus
London Philharmonic Choir
Delius A Mass of Life
