Attract and Resist
Chromatica Orchestra
Information
Time: 7pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £30)*
*all orders subject to a £2 transaction fee
Running Time: TBC
Age Recommendation: 8+
This event takes place in our Grand Hall
From the charged intimacy of tango to Poulenc’s joyous orchestral dance, this concert performed by Chromatica Orchestra and their Principal Conductor Oliver Cope, is music in motion.
Last Round, Osvaldo Golijov’s tribute to Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla, transforms the physical push and pull of the bandoneon concertina into music. The first movement compresses; the second opens with a sigh, expanding and contracting like the instrument itself. On stage, two groups of musicians face each other, their bows crossing but never clashing, just like the legs of the dancers. The accordion, too, is built on movement: expanding and contracting, drawing breath and pushing sound into the world.
In Daniel Soley’s Accordion Concerto, written for the “immense virtuosity and musicality” of soloist Ryan Corbett, its distinctive voice takes centre stage in a vivid conversation with the orchestra, revealing moments of intimacy, brilliance and exhilarating emotional intensity.
Poulenc’s Sinfonietta brings the evening to a joyous close. Full of dance rhythms, folksy tunes and Parisian wit, it moves effortlessly between elegance and mischief, tenderness and full-throttle exuberance — a playful, unpredictable finale that will send you out into the night with a smile.
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Credits
Programme
Last Dance Osvaldo Golijov
Accordion Concerto Daniel Soley
Sinfonietta Poulenc
Company
Conductor Oliver Cope
Accordion Ryan Corbett
Biographies
Chromatica Orchestra
Chromatica Orchestra is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of musical talent, bringing together outstanding emerging orchestral players with brilliant soloists. Oliver Cope was appointed the orchestra’s first Principal Conductor in 2026, taking up the role at the opening of its third season.
Oliver Cope
A prize-winning harpist and pianist, 27-year-old Oliver Cope read music at the University of Cambridge before studying conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and winning prizes at numerous international conducting competition. He has conducted orchestras across the UK and Europe including the Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and recently appeared here at Battersea Arts Centre conducting Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress for British Youth Opera.
Ryan Corbett
Praised for his “immense virtuosity and musicality” Ryan Corbett is a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and Classic FM Rising Star. Committed to expanding the accordion’s repertoire, Ryan has created hundreds of arrangements and has premiered new works for the instrument. In 2024 he gave the world premiere of Daniel Soley’s Accordion Concerto with Britten Sinfonia and the UK premiere of Mikhail Pletnev’s Accordion Concerto, later recording it with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Having performed twice before for King Charles, Ryan was invited to Balmoral Castle in August 2025 to perform for the King, the Queen, the Princess Royal, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Access
PRE EVENT INFORMATION
This event takes place in person in our Grand Hall. This space is on the ground floor, with step-free access via a lift.
If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS
If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing access@bac.org.uk.
To book a free access companion online:
- log in to your account here
- go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
- Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Content
- Loud or sudden music
Latecomers and re-entry are permitted at specific moments throughout the performance in-between pieces.
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