Myra Hess Festival

Come and discover the story of Myra Hess and the National Gallery told by lute player Andrew Maginley, and Gallery educator and storyteller Fiona Alderton. On this musical adventure around the Gallery, you will discover how the Gallery was transformed into a concert venue during the Second World War.

Through repetition, rhythm and rhyme, Fiona invites you to help her tell the story as you explore a selection of paintings. Join us on a magical tour that brings the Gallery’s past to life through stories and music!

Andrew Maginley is a concert soloist and accompanist. Born in New York City, his musical journey began performing at the Juilliard School’s first performances of Baroque opera while studying lute at the Mannes College of Music, where he gained a Masters Degree in Historical Performance Practice. Maginley was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to further study at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen, Germany. Maginley has performed with some of the world’s leading ensembles and orchestras including Freiburger Baroque Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the English Concert, and the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment. He has also performed live on the BBC Breakfast Show with soprano Daniel de Niese, and in a film by author Allie Esiri, ‘A Poem for Every Autumn Day’, with Jamal Westman and Helena Bonham Carter.

Fiona Alderton is a Gallery Educator and storyteller. With a background in performing, she writes and gives sessions for adults and children, including commissions for various organisations such as the National Portrait Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and the Royal Opera House in London.