Proms at St Jude’s brings a week of concerts, literary events, heritage walks and late-night comedy, from June 22-30 [Michael Eleftheriades]

THE immaculately groomed front gardens, velvet lawns and tree-lined avenues of Hampstead Garden Suburb sometimes feel too perfect to be real. But once a year these quiet streets burst into song, courtesy of the Proms at St Jude’s, which brings a week of concerts and festivity to the two fine Lutyens churches in Central Square. And the current season runs June 22-30 with a busy programme designed, as always, to raise money for charity.

The evening events start with American orchestral classics – Bernstein, Gershwin, Ives – on June 22. After which highlights include Piazolla tangos, June 24; the Kanneh-Mason family playing Brahms and Schubert, June 25; the extraordinarily virtuosic Felix Kleiser (who, born without arms, plays French horn with his feet) delivering a Mozart concerto, June 26; French choral music, June 27; and young talent from the specialist Menuhin School, with pianist/conductor Ashley Wass, playing Walton’s music for Henry V and other film-related scores, June 28.

If that isn’t enough, there are also free lunchtime recitals by emerging artists, guided walks, family events, literary talks… and marquees in the grounds of St Jude’s church where you can down a Pimms or two. A perfect summer package, all it needs is the sun. promsatstjudes.org.uk

• Festivity also arrives this week at the Royal College of Music where there’s an all-day showcase for what its students get up to, starting 11am, June 23. Then, June 24-28, comes a rolling event called Revolution in which short operas by student composers are staged at the RCM’s Britten Theatre. rcm.ac.uk

• For lovers of grand choral assault and battery, the North London Chorus have a Verdi Requiem at St James Muswell Hill, June 22 – albeit done with reduced orchestral forces (northlondonchorus.org); while the LSO and Chorus spare you nothing in a full-on Carmina Burana at the Barbican, June 23 & 25.  barbican.org.uk
But for something less ear-splitting, a chamber choir called I Dodici (which, as classicists will understand, means The Twelve) sing a Summer Solsitice concert at All Hallows, Gospel Oak, June 21. Music by Elgar, Delius, Esenvalds. 7.30pm. Tickets on the door.

• Equally non-oppressive is a recital of Schubert sonatas at St Mary le Strand, June 27, given by the Russian-born but British-based pianist Alexander Karpeyev who used to run the music programme at Pushkin House, Holborn. That it’s candlelit ought to be soothing – though one hopes he either plays from memory or has good eyesight. stmarylestrand.com

• Musicians weren’t exactly over-represented in the King’s birthday honours, but quality made up for quantity in that two major figures got knighthoods. One was Roger Wright who for the past 10 years has run the Aldeburgh Festival and kept it at the top of British cultural life in tough times – an achievement you can witness if you’re in Suffolk this weekend as the 2024 Festival draws to a close. brittenpearsarts.org
The other was John Rutter who has long been written-down by critics for composing works too easy on the ear, but loved by audiences who flock to them and choirs who sing them. There’s an example on June 21 when Goldsmith’s Choral Union sing his set of canticles The Gift of Life, at Holy Trinity, Sloane Square. It plays alongside Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. goldsmithschoralunion.org