The Shadows Are Less Amused. Concert + Album Launch. St Anne’s Limehouse, 27 June 2026, 6.30–Sunset

Musarc present a night of choral music, echoes and reflections in the astonishing resonant chambers of Hawksmoor’s St Anne’s, Limehouse. At the umbra of the programme is a new commission by Yshani Perinpanayagam – who has been working with the group throughout the year. Air Flush for choir and organ, conjures a cleansing of time, space and thought through a choreography of voice and gesture.

The event continues to stretch the ‘choral’ etymology of choreography with deceptive and elucidating works by Cage, Monk and Monteverdi. Sights and sounds will move in-and-out of focus, foreshadowing a shifting of sense and meaning. At the penumbra, we will dwell in the darkness of Flow my Tears as we reach the 400th anniversary of John Dowland’s death.

As the sun sets, Musarc will launch their new album On Air, featuring music from 1960–2025, including three new commissions. At St Anne’s, the group will perform Cassandra Miller’s Rounding which demands its performers to undergo a ‘body scan meditation’, individual explorations that blend the demands of singular reflection with group, choral dynamics. Olivia Block’s Of Stations invites the choir to tune symbiotically with a single analogue radio; this performance will be the first time the work has been experienced in public.

Throughout the evening Musarc will serve food prepared by the choir along with wine and non-alcoholic drinks. The concert is expected to finish just after sunset, which on the day is around 9.22pm.

We are thrilled to launch a new album in collaboration with SN Variations.

The first gasp of ‘On Air’ occurred in 2009 when Musarc presented an unusual event at St Stephen Walbrook, London. Rather than merely new commissions, On Air demanded new methodologies; the audience became choir and the concert a workshop. Since then, Musarc has continued to challenge the primacy of the final performance questioning what it is to be on stage, on demand and on air. Whether broadcasting, transmitting or streaming, Musarc continues to inspire commissioned works and collaborations in and out.

The album features music from 1960–2025 by Andrew Hamilton, Cassandra Miller and Benjamin Patterson; a reimagining of Brahms’ Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen? by Syliva Lim and new commissions from Olivia Block and Jan Hendrickse.

A special edition CD will be available for £15 on the night. The special edition, alongside digital download (£8) will be online for preorder soon.

Food prepared by singers and drinks available all evening + shop with books, music and artworks by members of the ensemble. Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Programme starts 7.00pm and ends just after sunset. Tickets are £16. There are a limited number of concessionary tickets at £12 for students and the unemployed and free tickets for children under 12.

St Anne’s was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and consecrated in 1730. It is Grade I listed and the churchyard and surrounding area is designated as a Conservation Area. For more on the history of the building please you can read the following leaflet.