Saturday 21 November 2026, 6pm | St Dunstan’s Church, Cranbrook, Kent

Conducted by Ben Knowles, with Clare Haythornthwaite as orchestra leader, the concert will feature a programme of Romantic masterpieces, including Mendelssohn’s Ruy Blas Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7.

The concert offers audiences an opportunity to hear one of Poland’s internationally recognised violinists perform one of the most demanding and beloved works in the violin repertoire.

About Magdalena Filipczak

Polish violinist Magdalena Filipczak has been praised by The Arts Desk as “a musical chameleon.” Her Carnegie Hall recital debut was described by New York Concert Review as “a concert not to be forgotten… the vehicle of violin wizardry.”

She has appeared as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician on prestigious stages across Europe and North America, including Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Among her international competition successes, Magdalena won the IV Heino Eller International Violin Competition in Estonia and the Gold Prize at the 2018 Manhattan International Music Competition. In recognition of her artistic achievements and contributions to culture, she received the Młoda Polska Scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Her critically acclaimed debut solo album, Essence of Violin, was praised by The Strad magazine as “glittering” and “captivating.” Her forthcoming recordings include collaborations with renowned Hungarian pianist Peter Frankl and her brother Łukasz Filipczak. Her performances can also be heard in the BBC television and podcast series Thief at the British Museum, as well as recordings by Gruppo Montebello, Tim Garland and Peter Gregson, including releases on Deutsche Grammophon.

Magdalena graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she studied with distinguished Polish violinist Krzysztof Śmietana. She also participated in The Perlman Music Program, led by legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, and pursued studies in classical and jazz singing.

In 2025, she was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Performance from the CUNY Graduate Center in New York, where she held a prestigious five-year Graduate Center Fellowship. Her doctoral research explored Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto and his early compositional period.

Alongside her performing career, Magdalena is a dedicated educator who has taught at music institutions in London and New York.

Since 2019, she has been supported by the Beare’s International Violin Society in London, which has generously loaned her exceptional historical instruments, including violins by Stradivarius and Nicolò Amati.

More information: www.magdalenafilipczak.com

Event Information

Date: Saturday 21 November 2026

Time: 6pm

Venue: St Dunstan’s Church, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3HA

Orchestra: Cranbrook Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Ben Knowles

Orchestra Leader: Clare Haythornthwaite

Violin Soloist: Magdalena Filipczak

Programme:

• Felix Mendelssohn – Ruy Blas Overture
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D major
• Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 7

Tickets:

• Adults: £15 in advance, £17 on the door
• Children: £5

Booking: https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/events/tchaikovsky-violin-concerto-listing-2193-170314.aspx

The concert will also support the charity Wellbeing in the Weald.

For further information about Cranbrook Symphony Orchestra, visit www.thecso.org.uk.