Saturday Live: Songs of Imagination and Play

A programme of playful song cycles inspired by dreams and imagination!

Experience inspiring performances by top emerging artists in our historic venue, renowned for its superb acoustics. Our recitals are programmed in collaboration with leading music colleges and charities, providing a platform for the stars of tomorrow. Discover exceptional talent in a unique settting.

Free admission | Donations welcome

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Programme

Join soprano Betty Makharinsky and pianist Pavel Timofeyevsky for a lunchtime recital. Britten’s ‘On This Island’ captures vivid scenes of nature and human experience set to Auden’s evocative poetry. Mussorgsky’s ‘The Nursery’ brings childhood moments to life with humour and tenderness, while Poulenc’s ‘La Courte Paille’ delights in whimsical vignettes. The programme concludes with the lush lyricism of Rachmaninoff’s ‘Dream’ and delicate beauty of Debussy’s ‘Nuit d’étoiles’.

Presented in association with the Philomel Creative Circle.

Artist Bio

Betty Makharinsky – soprano

Praised for her “exquisite performance” (Seen and Heard International), Betty is a versatile classical soprano. Recent solo concert highlights include cantatas BWV 23 and BWV 127 with I Barocchisti (c. Diego Fasolis) in Lugano, Mahler’s 2nd Symphony with Fidelio Orchestra (c. Raffaello Morales) at Milton Court, Handel’s Dixit Dominus with the Covent Garden Chorus (c. Tori Longdon), and Orff’s Carmina Burana with Whitehall Orchestra (c. Claudio di Meo).

In 2025 Betty sang Drusilla/Fortuna in HGO’s production of L’incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, and made her Buxton International Festival debut as Euridice in Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers. In April 2026 she will sing Annina in Verdi’s La Traviata at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in a production directed by Sofia Coppola. In 2024 Betty joined Kensington Philharmonic Orchestra as soprano soloist for Mahler’s 4th Symphony and Brahms’ Requiem, and was nominated for an Offie for her performance in HGO’s production of The Fairy Queen by Purcell.

Betty’s recital repertoire ranges from Renaissance lute song to 20th-Century Eastern European music. She collaborates most often with pianist Pavel Timofeyevsky; in 2026 they will give recitals in London, Oxford, and Warwick. She continues to study privately in Italy with Antonio Lemmo, having studied previously at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and on the Barock Vokal programme in Mainz, Germany. She received a Music BA Honours degree from Oxford University. In 2020 Betty co-founded Vache Baroque, an award-winning and critically-acclaimed ensemble.

Pavel Timofeyevsky – piano

Pianist and composer Pavel Timofeyevsky is gaining recognition as one of today’s most compelling artists. Described as a performer of “shimmering undertones and rapturous colours” (Pulse UK), he has appeared at major venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre. His acclaimed New York debut at Merkin Hall led to invitations to perform in Florence, Kenya, and South Africa. He recently performed with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles.

Winner of the BBC/Guardian Young Composer of the Year Award, Pavel has composed for film and animation and recently premiered a new orchestral work at London’s Cadogan Hall.

He is the Artistic Director of Philomel Creative Circle, a concert series in residence at the Francis Crick Institute. In 2023, Pavel became Music Director of Devon Opera and Artistic Director of Notable, debuting at both companies with his arrangement of Puccini’s Tosca, which was featured on Channel 4 News and praised in Opera magazine.

Since May 2024, Pavel curates the programme and performs in the biannual chamber music and opera festival “Fêtes Musicales Saint- Maxime” in Côte d’Azur, France. An eloquent speaker, Pavel gives regular storytelling-concerts for Notable in Chelsea, London.