Laurence Kilsby & Harry Baker: Folk Reflections

Doors 7pm, Music 8pm 

In their programme, ‘Folk Reflections: Songwriters Through the Centuries’, award-winning tenor Laurence Kilsby and pianist Harry Baker bring together the evocative storytelling of classical composers and folk songwriters. The pair explore the deep-rooted connection with traditional folk melodies in the works of Gabriel Faure, Antonin Dvorak, Manuel De Falla and more. Their songs, shaped by the rhythms of daily life and universal themes of love, loss, and longing, stand alongside the music of modern troubadours such as Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen, whose songs echo the same raw emotion and lyrical depth.

‍This programme highlights the enduring power of folk traditions, reimagined across centuries yet bound by a shared language of melody and poetry. Whether through John Dowland’s melancholic lute songs, Henry Purcell’s theatrical ballads, Benjamin Britten’s evocative folk song settings, or the confessional lyricism of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, these works transcend genre, resonating with honest expression. Kilsby and Baker invite you to journey through these musical landscapes, where past and present meet in a tapestry of song, celebrating the human stories that unite us all.

Shortlisted in the category Young Singer at the 2023 International Opera Awards, tenor Laurence Kilsby has won first prize in three international competitions; the Das Lied Competition at the Heidelberger Frühling Festspiele, the Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition and the Cesti Competition at the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik. He recently released his debut album with pianist Ella O’Neill, entitled AWAKENINGS , in coproduction with Avi-Musik , Deutsche Grammophon and SWR Kultur. 

Harry Baker is an award-winning British pianist and arranger active at the highest levels of both jazz and classical performance. Collaborations with artists including Fatma Said, Jamie Cullum and Sheku Kanneh-Mason have led to performances at Wigmore Hall, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and the Royal Festival Hall. Recent international touring highlights include the Edinburgh International Festival, Lucerne Festival and Konzerthaus Berlin. As an arranger, Harry has written extensively for Decca Records, ABRSM and the BBC Proms.

Image Credit: Ben Reason

Stone Nest is an arts organisation and performance venue in the heart of London's West End, bringing exceptional and experimental art to a wide audience. A hidden gem nestled amidst the bright lights of theatreland, it offers a platform for bold, visionary artists and a space where audiences can encounter an eclectic programme of contemporary performance.

*Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. We can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking.