A collection of concert programmes from London theatres beginning "M" to "O". Programmes date from 1875 onwards.

Concerts:
The most substantial collections of concert programmes are from the Mermaid Theatre, the Odeon Southgate and the Odeon Swiss Cottage. The Mermaid Theatre programmes feature a number of recitals and concerts from the 1950s and 1960s. These include a costumed recital, recitals featuring Ivor Newton, Leon Goossens and Richard Lewis, an open air concert and some Sunday chamber concerts. There are a number of programmes from orchestral concerts performed at the Odeon, Southgate, including concerts given by the New London Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. There is a substantial number of programmes from concerts given by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Odeon, Swiss Cottage in the 1960s. This venue was also used for a concert given by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Other concert programmes in the collection include concerts from the Mercury Theatre, New Coliseum Theatre Harrow, New theatre St. Martin’s Lane, the Lyttelton Theatre and the Oliver Thompson Theatre. The collection includes 2 concert programmes from chamber music concerts at the Mercury Theatre, as part of the Lemare Concerts series in 1937. There is a programme from the premiere of 4 of Britten's folksong arrangement. These were first performed at the Odeon, Southgate on 13/12/42 with Peter Pears as soloist.

Staged:
The collection also contains many programmes from the New Theatre, St. Martin’s Lane, including programmes for plays and opera performances by the Sadler’s Wells opera company. There are a number of programmes for the National Theatre, including performances at the National Film Theatre, Lyttleton Theatre and Olivier Theatre. There are also 8 programmes in the collection for performances of Dido and Aeneas at the Mermaid Theatre in 1951, where the opera seems to have been staged regularly through this year. Programmes from the Opera Comique Theatre include a number of significant programmes associated with Gilbert and Sullivan; these include programmes from the first performance runs of The Sorcerer and HMS Pinafore, and a programme from the first London run of Pirates of Penzance.

Theatres included:
St. Mary Abbots Theatre; St. Martin’s theatre; Mercury theatre; Mermaid theatre; New coliseum theatre; New end theatre; New Olympic theatre; new theatre, St. Martin’s lane; Odeon, Southgate; Odeon theatre, Golders Green; Odeon theatre, Hammersmith; Odeon theatre, Swiss cottage; Oliver Thompson theatre; Olympia; Opera comique; National theatre

Arrangement:
Programmes are arranged alphabetically by theatre name, then chronologically.

1875 -

-

Not Specific

• Gilbert, William Schwenck -
• Lemare Concert Series -
• New London orchestra (1941-) -
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra -
• Sullivan, Arthur -

• London [England]
• Mercury Theatre
• Mermaid Theatre
• National Theatre
• New Coliseum Theatre, Harrow
• New End Theatre
• New Olympic Theatre
• New Theatre, St. Martin's lane
• Odeon, Golders Green
• Odeon, Hammersmith
• Odeon, Swiss Cottage
• Odeon, The Bourne, Southgate
• Oliver Thompson Theatre
• Olympia Theatre
• Opera Comique
• St. Martin's Theatre
• St. Mary Abbot’s Theatre

• 19th century - late Victorian 1876-1899
• 19th century - mid Victorian 1851-1875
• 20th century - early 1900-1930
• 20th century - late 1971-1999
• 20th century - mid 1931-1970

College Hall 220-238 Goldhawk Road London W12 9PL

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portraits@rcm.ac.uk

020 7591 4340

020 7589 7740 

Mon-Fri by appointment

The Portraits and Performance History Collection and its associated reading room is housed in a recently adapted space within the RCM's College Hall, its hall of residence for students. There is step-free access for visitors.

The Centre for Performance History (CPH) is a research centre and is also responsible for the stewardship of two well-established RCM research collections, the Museum of Instruments and the Portraits and Performance History Collection (PPHC). The latter houses a diverse collection relating to the history of performance including the RCM’s internationally famous collection of images, comprising 340 original portraits and sculptures and 25,000 prints and photographs, forming the most comprehensive archive of likenesses of musicians in the UK. The collection of 600,000 concert programmes from 1720 to the present day is of major importance for research into the history of music, society and culture.