St Peter's Church Launches New Black Lion Festival

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Three day event includes classical concerts and storytelling

St. Peter's Church. Picture: Peter Trimming

May 4, 2026

St Peter’s Church in Hammersmith is launching a new three-day music festival this month, bringing an ambitious mix of classical performance, choral music and family-friendly storytelling to the parish. The Black Lion Festival, curated by St Peter’s Musical Director Travis Baker, will run from 9–11 May and aims to welcome both the church’s established community and new audiences into the building.

The festival opens on Friday 9 May with a rare chance to hear Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in an extraordinary form. Australian pianist Stefan Cassomenos will perform Franz Liszt’s solo piano transcription of the Ninth Symphony, a virtuosic re-imagining that condenses the scale and drama of Beethoven’s choral masterpiece into a single instrument. The transcription, seldom heard live, captures the symphony’s power in a way that is both intimate and astonishingly demanding. Organisers describe the concert as an opportunity to experience one of classical music’s greatest works “like never before”.

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On Saturday 10 May, the focus shifts to choral music with a performance of Fauré’s Requiem in an arrangement by Michael Higgins. The West London Chamber Choir will join forces with the Choir of St Peter’s and the Cirrus String Quartet, accompanied by Travis Baker on organ and directed by acclaimed conductor Hilary Campbell. The programme promises a serene and contemplative interpretation of Fauré’s much-loved work, known for its gentle, consoling character rather than the fire and fury of many traditional requiems.

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The festival concludes on Sunday 11 May with a Kinder Prom designed especially for children and families. The Cirrus String Quartet will perform Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, with narration by Lee Bradshaw, who will also present his own musical setting of Four Poems by A.A. Milne. The event aims to introduce young listeners to live music through storytelling, humour and vivid characterisation, offering what organisers describe as “laughter, wonder, and the joy of discovery”.

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All concerts take place at St Peter’s Church on Black Lion Lane. Find out more about the church here.

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