Water City Festival

Water City Festival Orchestra celebrates east London’s past, present, and future with a show at the iconic People’s Palace

A 100-piece orchestra takes to the stage at Queen Mary, University of London’s People’s Palace on Sunday 3 February, for a concert celebrating East London’s past, present, and future.
 
The concert will be a culmination of the Water City Festival’s ‘Orchestra in a Weekend’ event. Through film and music, the concert shares the inside story of the Olympic Legacy and its relationship to other existing developments in the LowerLeaValley now that the Games are over. This is an opportunity to see Olympic Legacy through the eyes of people who live and work in East London.
 
The Water City Festival Orchestra, led by internationally acclaimed violinist Michael Bochmann, will help re-open the historic People’s Palace at Mile End following the venue’s £6.3M refurbishment. The show kicks off a programme of events, from classical concerts to stand-up comedy, taking place throughout February and March.
 
The event will showcase the diverse talent of east London, bringing together players of all ages, including experienced professional musicians living in the area, local community players and staff and students from Queen Mary. The Queen Mary Music Society Orchestra are heavily involved with the concert, as is the university’s Director of Music, Alan Wilson, who will play the People’s Palace’s newly refurbished Rutt organ.
 
Chaired by social entrepreneur Lord Andrew Mawson, who has worked in the Lower Lea Valley for nearly thirty years, the Water City Festival is an ongoing celebration of east London and its growing reputation as the home of some 12,000 artists. The five Olympic Boroughs are, says Mawson, “home to the largest cultural quarter in Europe”.


The WaterCity Festival Concert starts at 6.30pm on Sunday 3 February. Tickets are £4 or free for under 16s and can be booked here: http://bit.ly/ZOICeL