Behind the glass façade of central London’s Kings Place lies an award-winning arts venue that’s home to a packed programme of comedy, music and family-friendly concerts, as well as shows and events.

Two world-class concert halls sit alongside purpose-built art galleries, cafés and restaurants, as well as conference and events facilities – offering group travel organisers a plethora of choice, all under one roof.

Since it opened eight years ago, Kings Place has enjoyed critical success, its classical music concerts and celebrations especially highly regarded thanks to its halls’ acoustics. The venue’s reputation has since been further cemented thank to its artistic diversity and the high quality of its programming. From stand-up comedians to jazz nights and a series of free events throughout the year, it’s become one of the UK’s leading arts centres.

Flagship event

Kings Place has become synonymous with its flagship, year-long Unwrapped series – an annual event that began with an exploration of Beethoven in 2009, later followed by Chopin, Mozart, Brahms and Bach. Each year the series incorporates performances, study days, children’s concerts, film screenings, masterclasses and audience participation.

The venue’s ‘Minimalism Unwrapped’ event, held last year to celebrate the entire minimalist movement, has recently been nominated for a PRS award – and ‘Baroque Unwrapped’ is this year’s focus, as the series explores a period of seismic change and creativity in European music thanks to a surge in travel.

The Baroque era saw the birth of opera, the rise of the virtuoso soloist, the first public concerts and the beginning of the symphony orchestra. It was a period of high drama, extravagance and excess, and Kings Place will be paying homage with a programme of concerts from the post-Renaissance period throughout the rest of the year, as well as Baroque masterpieces from Purcell, Rameau, Bach, Monteverdi and Vivaldi.

For the first time ever, Kings Place will be ‘unwrapping’ an instrument in next year’s event. The Cello Unwrapped will be the theme for 2017 as this ground-breaking series continues.

Charitable funding

Entirely self-funded, Kings Place Music Foundation (KPMF) is the charity that runs the performance spaces at Kings Place.

Unlike many traditional arts venues, KPMF is financed by a combination of ticket sales and conferences. Its state-of-the-art facilities are also used for rehearsals and recordings. This allows KPMF to provide a platform for current and cutting-edge music and art, as well as experimental work that may not otherwise be seen by concert-goers.

The two performance spaces, Hall One and Hall Two, play host to more than 600 artistic events each year and a diverse range of art forms, including classical, opera, jazz, folk, world and contemporary music, as well as dance, film, comedy, literature and spoken word.

Overseen by Peter Millican, the programme at Kings Place is devised with the help of guest curators. These relationships provide a space for unique artistic content that is rarely presented elsewhere in London. The result is a mix of eclectic, interdisciplinary and international concerts, with festivals highlighting the musical traditions of cultures from around the globe.

Festival atmosphere

The annual Kings Place Festival runs from September 9-11 this year, allowing groups to indulge in a variety of classical, contemporary, folk, jazz and world music concerts, as well as comedy, spoken word and family performances. Tickets starts at just £6.50, with many events completely free and a special multi-event discount available for groups.

Find out more about the venue at www.kingsplace.co.uk or call the box office on 020 7520 1490.