Aaron Azunda Akugbo, trumpet, and Ryan Corbett, accordion

HONEGGER   Intrada

HANDEL   ‘But who may abide’ from The Messiah

PURCELL   ‘Dido’s Lament’ from Dido and Aeneas

JEAN SIBELIUS   Valse Triste

ROPARTZ   Andante et Allegro

HOVHANESS   Sonata for trumpet and organ

FLORENCE PRICE   Sympathy and Sunset

PIAZZOLLA  Café 1930

J S BACH (after Vivaldi)   Concerto in D major BWV 972

This should be a riveting evening of music from across several centuries and continents, provided by two of the hottest young talents!

Aaron Akugbo and Ryan Corbett – both astonishing virtuoso players and Classic FM 'Rising Stars 2024' – have recently joined forces to explore a new sound world, blending Aaron’s stunning lyricism and panache on the trumpet with Ryan’s dazzling dexterity on the accordion. Their seamless collaboration creates an electrifying fusion that captivates audiences whilst also pushing the boundaries of traditional instrumentation. 

AARON AZUNDA AKUGBO

Born in 1998 and of Nigerian-Scottish descent, Aaron Azunda Akugbo hails from Edinburgh and is poised as a future leading exponent of his instrument. He brings a wide-ranging musical taste to his artistry and, despite being classically trained, cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical inspiration.  He is a charismatic performer with an abundance of natural humour which translates into an effortless engagement with people and audiences.  

In the summer of 2023, Aaron made his BBC Proms concerto debut performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with Chineke!, Europe’s first black and minority ethnic orchestra. This followed his third visit to the Lucerne Festival where he joined the Lucerne Festival Strings for a performance of Planel’s Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra.  

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and an ex-principal of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Aaron can often be seen as guest principal in the chairs of some of the most prestigious orchestras in the UK, including the Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras.  

REVIEWS

'Trumpeter Aaron Akugbo was a refined soloist in Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat major. His sound was sweet, often lyrical, with the ability to play both legato and to manage the treacherous multi-octave leaps that Haydn sets as challenges to the soloist. The second movement was especially fine, with Akugbo's phrasing of the lyrical solo line. The third movement's acrobatics were played with perfect clarity and intonation.'

The Arts Desk

SAMPLE RECORDING

Watch Aaron's performance at the BBC Proms 2023 here

RYAN CORBETT

BBC New Generation artist, Royal Over-Seas League gold medallist and Classic FM Rising Star, Ryan Corbett is an accordionist hailed by Sir James MacMillan as 'one of the most astonishing and surprising newcomers in Scottish music'. A leading exponent of his instrument, he has given over eight hours of radio broadcasts and a televised performance at the Scottish Coronation of HM King Charles III. Corbett has enlarged the repertoire by creating hundreds of new arrangements for accordion, but no matter how strong his passion for the instrument, it is his dedication to musical integrity that takes precedence.

Recent seasons have seen recitals across Europe at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie; he has also performed in the USA, Mexico, and China. In the UK Corbett frequents major festivals including Bath, Beaminster, Beaumaris, Budleigh, Buxton, Cambridge Summer Music, Chipping Campden, Cumnock Tryst, Deal, Edinburgh, Lake District, Lammermuir, Lichfield, St Magnus, Norfolk & Norwich, Oxford Song, Paxton, Perth, Ryedale, Southrepps, and the Keyboard Festival at St George’s Bristol. He makes his debut at London’s Wigmore Hall this year.

Passionate about collaboration, Corbett regularly performs with soloists and ensembles alike. He has performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Red Note Ensemble, Maxwell Quartet, singers Nicholas Mulroy, Ben Johnson and Lotte Betts-Dean, cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia, violinist Geneva Lewis, and trumpeter Aaron Akugbo. 

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REVIEWS

'I am not clear how it is possible to achieve the variation in voice, as well as tone and dynamics, we heard in his approach to music written for organ and piano, but it was certainly audible. And the visual advantage of the front-facing accordion is that his remarkably dextrous technique could not have been easier to admire.' Keith Bruce, VoxCarnyx

SAMPLE RECORDING

Watch Ryan performing Bach here

Image credit: Thomas Hull

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Concert ticket £22

Members, children, students under 26, accompanying carers: free

NHS staff, Universal Credit recipients £5

Family Ticket: £30 for two adults, or £15 for one adult, accompanying one or more children

Available at the door (cards, cash and cheques accepted) and in advance

To book and pay by cheque or bank transfer, or to reserve a ticket, please contact our Box Office Manager, Jane Muir: janemuir72@gmail.com or call 07766 884991

To book and pay online visit https://www.wegottickets.com/OxshottCobhamMusicSociety

Online bookings are subject to a 10% admin fee.