A Night under the Stars for The Passage

A Night under the Stars is the annual gala concert in aid of The Passage, a London charity that provides resources which encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives. This year, at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday 8 November 2016, performers include Simon Trpčeski (piano), James O'Donnell (organ), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Mark Stone (baritone), Streetwise Opera, Toby Purser (conductor) and the Orion Orchestra, along with BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny. Guest stars will include writer Armando Iannucci and impressionist Jon Culshaw.

The event takes place on the day of the Presidential Election in the USA, so the title is Stars and Stripes for Ever, and the programmes is a lovely selection of mainly 20th century American music, including Bernstein's overture to Candide and music from West Side Story, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and selected songs, Barber's Adagio for Strings, some of Copland's Old American Songs, music from Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific and Carousel, and of course Sousa's march Stars and Stripes Forever arranged by composer Raymond Yiu for organ and orchestra.