Saturday 10th April 2027, 7:00pm
Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia returns to the beautiful setting of St John’s Church, Stansted Mountfitchet, for an evening of elegance, imagination and musical discovery. Beethoven’s spirited Namensfeier Overture opens the programme, before acclaimed trumpeter Imogen Whitehead joins the Sinfonia for Haydn’s much-loved Trumpet Concerto – a sparkling showcase filled with lyricism, wit and virtuosity.
After the interval, we rediscover the remarkable music of Emilie Mayer. Celebrated during her lifetime but largely forgotten after her death, Mayer was one of the most prolific female composers of the nineteenth century. Her Symphony No. 5 reveals a distinctive musical voice, combining dramatic energy, lyrical warmth and rich orchestral colour. An intimate evening of live orchestral music, inviting audiences to encounter the familiar afresh – and discover a remarkable voice deserving of a place back on the concert stage.
Date and Time
Saturday 10th April 2027, 7:00pm
Venue
St John’s Church Stansted, St. John’s Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, CM24 8JP
Soloist
Imogen Whitehead
Conductor
Rebecca Miller
Box Office Tickets available here.
Imogen Whitehead
British trumpeter Imogen Whitehead is in demand across the UK and internationally, enjoying an increasingly diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal.
A passionate advocate for new music, Imogen has served on the International Trumpet Guild’s ‘New Works’ committee and premiered numerous works by composers including Sally Beamish, Charlotte Harding, Stephen Dodgson, and Aníbal Vidal, whose work received a 2026 Ivor Novello Award. Many of these works are featured on her recently released debut solo album, Connection.
A particular champion of the flugelhorn, an instrument often overlooked in the classical sphere, Imogen is dedicated to raising its profile as a solo instrument through new commissions and arrangements. In July 2026, she made her concerto debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, giving the world premiere of Gabriel Jackson’s newly commissioned Flugelhorn Concerto as part of her Artistic Residency at Yorkshire’s Ryedale Festival. The work receives further performances at the Presteigne Festival and with Sinfonia Smith Square during the 2026/27 season. Recent and forthcoming highlights also include recitals at Ampleforth Abbey, Upstairs at Ronnie’s Scott’s Jazz Club, Canterbury Festival, and the Kissingen Sommer Music Festival, alongside recording projects with the United Strings of Europe and Voces8.
In addition to her position as Principal Trumpet with Britten Sinfonia, Imogen performs regularly as Guest Principal Trumpet with other leading orchestras internationally. Recent highlights include European tours with Aurora Orchestra and Abel Selaocoe and the London Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, she has also performed in London’s West End and played on major film soundtracks including Maestro and Saltburn.
Imogen is currently Artist-in-Residence with St Martin’s Voices and a member of the acclaimed wind and brass collective, Neoteric Ensemble. She is deeply committed to music education, community engagement, and equal opportunity, serving as an Associate and Mentor for GALSI (Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments), an initiative promoting gender equality in brass and percussion. She is also involved in Britten Sinfonia’s pioneering outreach work, has worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Resound’ education and community programme, and regularly leads masterclasses at conservatoires across the UK. Based in South West London, Imogen also volunteers as a befriender through the Wimbledon Guild.
An alumna of the Royal Academy of Music, Imogen studied with professors including Mark David and Gareth Small and subsequently studied privately with Norwegian soloist Tine Thing Helseth. In April 2025, Imogen was awarded Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).
