NEWSDESK
LATE SUMMER GALA
POP and Kettner Concerts have arranged a Late Summer GALA concert at the National Liberal Club on Friday 11 September that promises to be a very special occasion. Three of POP's outstanding young pianists will each be showcasing an iconic piano quartet with a string trio of soloists from the London Mozart Players. The LMPs have long worked with young artists at the cusp of their careers to inspire the next generation of musicians and audiences and we are honoured to welcome them to the NLC.
PROGRAMME
Milda Daunoraite (piano)
SCHUMANN Piano quartet in E flat major op. 47 (composed in 1842)
William Bracken (piano)
BRAHMS Piano quartet in G minor No. 1 op. 25 (composed 1856–61)
Dominic Degavino (piano)
FAURÉ Piano quartet op. 15 (composed from 1876–79)
Tickets are £30 (students and under 18s £10). You can book your tickets online now or at the door. The recital room and the bar will be open from 6.30 pm. The concert will start at 7.00 pm sharp and end at approximately 8.30 pm. Please encourage your friends to join us to enjoy the thrill of a live performance by the sparkling soloists of the London Mozart Players and our exciting rising stars.
Milda Daunoraite
William Bracken
Dominic Degavino
PORT SUNLIGHT INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL
Port Sunlight International Piano Festival (PSIPF), Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026, is a project committed to bringing world-class music-making to the village of Port Sunlight on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside. It aims to allow residents and attendees to celebrate the stunning but little known Lady Lever Art Gallery, which will host the performances. Founded by our much admired POP pianist William Bracken, the Festival proposes to expose the community to musical excellence from around the globe whilst keeping performances free to attend.
It will also serve as a testament to the legacy of Paula Browning, William's grandmother, who was born in Taranaki, New Zealand, but spent the last two decades of her life living on the Wirral. Paula was a pianist of formidable ability and reputation. The festival is built on values that she held dear: curiosity, enthusiasm, exacting standards, work-ethic, pleasure and, above all, a deep love for music and an inexhaustible passion for sharing it with the community.
There will be six concerts at the gallery over the weekend from solo piano recitals to chamber music including performances by pianists Alexia Eleftheriadou, Kasparas Mikužis, Elisabeth Tsai and Sophia Prodanova (violin).
William Hesketh Lever (1851–1925) was a multi-millionaire who made his fortune by selling just one product – household soap in pre-wrapped bars under a brand name: Sunlight Soap. In 1888 he built a village to house his employees and named it Port Sunlight. The Lady Lever Art Gallery, pictured above, built in memory of his beloved wife Elizabeth, houses one of the UK's finest art galleries, including a famous collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.
For more information about the Festival see William's website, where you can sign up to receive his newsletter.
william bracken - piano
THANK-YOU letter (precis) from Ignas Maknickas and his wife Asja Mosconi
for POP's support of their Piano Festival at Erba, Lake Como, Italy.
Dear Mary,
On behalf of the entire team of the Erba Piano Festival, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for POP's generous support of the festival’s inaugural edition. Your contribution has played a vital role in making this ambitious project possible. Thanks to the support of sponsors such as [Promote Our Pianists], we have been able to welcome talented young musicians from around the world, provide scholarships to deserving participants, and create an international platform for artistic exchange and musical excellence.
Twelve young pianists from Europe, Asia, North America, and the United Kingdom have been selected to participate. They will receive intensive coaching and perform in public masterclasses led by our distinguished faculty: Joanna MacGregor CBE, Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London; Pier Francesco Forlenza of the Conservatorio di Milano; conductor Geoffrey Simon; and pianist Ignas Maknickas.
We are also particularly proud of the high level of our Festival String Orchestra, whose members are students and alumni of some of Europe’s leading music institutions, including the Royal Academy of Music in London, HEMU Lausanne, Hochschule für Musik Basel, Accademia Europea di Musica and several prestigious Italian conservatories. The orchestra will collaborate with the festival participants in performances of Mozart’s piano concertos, providing a unique opportunity for young musicians to work together at a professional level.
The festival will culminate in two public orchestral concerts on 16 and 17 July. In addition, audiences will be able to attend faculty recitals, public masterclasses, participant performances, and other evening events throughout the week. We believe these activities will make a meaningful contribution to the cultural life of Erba while offering an exceptional educational experience for the next generation of musicians.
With our warmest thanks,
Ignas Maknickas & Asja Mosconi
Artistic Directors of Erba Piano Festival
Stefan Coles
Founder Accademia Europea di Musica