An African - Reginald Mobley sings Ignatius Sancho Tickets

This is an in-person only event in the Entrance Hall. Tickets are free but booking is required.  

Noted for his ‘shimmering voice’ (BachTrack), GRAMMY-nominated American countertenor Reginald Mobley is globally renowned for his interpretation of baroque, classical and modern repertoire, and leads a prolific career on both sides of the Atlantic. An advocate for diversity in music and its programming, Reginald became the first ever Programming Consultant for the Handel & Haydn Society following several years of leading H&H in its community engaging Every Voice concerts. He holds the position of Visiting Artist for Diversity Outreach with the Baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire and is also leading a research project in the UK funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to uncover music by composers from diverse backgrounds. 

In this lunchtime concert Reginald Mobley will be presenting one of his research findings with a performance featuring the songs by Ignatius Sancho, a Black British composer who advocated for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of African people. Sancho was actively involved in the British abolitionist movement and later became the first Black person to vote in a British general election in the late 1700s. To commemorate his legacy, Reginald will be joined by a harpsichordist Ashok Gupta, to bring Sancho's lesser-known music from the English Baroque period back to life. 

Ashok Gupta is a prize-winning pianist.  He has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists including Alessandro Fisher, Sarah-Jane Brandon, Dame Sarah Connolly and Luise Buchberger.  He has performed at major music centres and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Glyndebourne.  Ashok is also an arranger, conductor and a visiting coach at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Part of the programme for the British Library exhibition Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music (26 April – 26 August). 


Supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council  

Image of Reginald Mobley by Richard Dumas 

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