Sky Full Of Stars
A Sky Full of Stars: A Tribute to ColdplayGet ready for an electrifying night of music and fun at **…
23rd May 2025
7:30pm - Doors Open: 6:30pm
Celebrate the festive season in style with the internationally acclaimed BBC Big Band, legendary conductor Barry Forgie, and the extraordinary vocal talents of Emer McParland and Iain Mackenzie, as they perform a sparkling collection of seasonal favourites.
The Telegraph
The Guardian
It would be difficult to imagine any band anywhere doing a better job
The Observer
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading and most versatile Orchestras, The BBC Big Band continues to delight audiences around the world through their broadcasts on BBC Radio and their live performances.
Trained at Trinity College of Music in London, Emer’s unique versatility has led her to be involved in various music projects. These have included singing on movie soundtracks such as Avengers, Disney’s Aladdin, Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible, Tomb Raider, Sleepy Hollow and The Mummy Returns, as well as being featured along include popular music artists such as diverse as Peter Gabriel, Katherine Jenkins and Bjork.
Emer's heart lies in live work, and she has appeared at some of the UK’s premier music venues, including The Royal Albert Hall, London’s legendary jazz venue Ronnie Scott's, as well as London’s Hyde Park. Her orchestral experience includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra (Ireland), The BBC Concert Orchestra and, of course, the wonderful BBC Big Band
One of the UK’s finest jazz and big band vocalists, Iain’s career and collaborations read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the music industry. Recent work and collaborations include Kenny Wheeler, Abdullah Ibrahim, Sandie Shaw, Joss Stone, and Mica Paris – to name a few.
All this is in addition to being featured vocalist with the likes of The BBC Big Band and RTE Orchestra, as well as being a resident artist at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
When you consider that Barry Forgie conducted a brass band at three, was playing trombone at ten, and leading his own jazz group at 16, it seems strange that his first career aspiration was to be a vet! However, the lure of music eventually led him to a Bachelor of Music Degree at the University of Wales, and regular BBC broadcasts with his own band. Over the course of his career Barry has worked as an arranger/composer and musical associate on numerous Hollywood films, Concert Tours, and BBC Recordings and Broadcasts. He has covered the whole gamut of music, from conducting Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song And Dance in London's West End to the composition of a 50-minute Beatles symphony. Barry began conducting the BBC Big Band on a regular basis in 1977. He has built an unparalleled repertoire for the band, transcribing the best of big band music from early Ellington, through the Swing era, to the likes of Gerry Mulligan and Buddy Rich. Unrealised ambitions to swim the Channel, play rugby for England, row for Cambridge, defeat Kasparov at chess, and invent a new computer language for Microsoft, are more than compensated for by the thrill of fronting the BBC Big Band!
The Telegraph
The Guardian
It would be difficult to imagine any band anywhere doing a better job
The Observer
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading and most versatile Orchestras, The BBC Big Band continues to delight audiences around the world through their broadcasts on BBC Radio and their live performances.
Trained at Trinity College of Music in London, Emer’s unique versatility has led her to be involved in various music projects. These have included singing on movie soundtracks such as Avengers, Disney’s Aladdin, Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible, Tomb Raider, Sleepy Hollow and The Mummy Returns, as well as being featured along include popular music artists such as diverse as Peter Gabriel, Katherine Jenkins and Bjork.
Emer's heart lies in live work, and she has appeared at some of the UK’s premier music venues, including The Royal Albert Hall, London’s legendary jazz venue Ronnie Scott's, as well as London’s Hyde Park. Her orchestral experience includes appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra (Ireland), The BBC Concert Orchestra and, of course, the wonderful BBC Big Band
One of the UK’s finest jazz and big band vocalists, Iain’s career and collaborations read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the music industry. Recent work and collaborations include Kenny Wheeler, Abdullah Ibrahim, Sandie Shaw, Joss Stone, and Mica Paris – to name a few.
All this is in addition to being featured vocalist with the likes of The BBC Big Band and RTE Orchestra, as well as being a resident artist at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
When you consider that Barry Forgie conducted a brass band at three, was playing trombone at ten, and leading his own jazz group at 16, it seems strange that his first career aspiration was to be a vet! However, the lure of music eventually led him to a Bachelor of Music Degree at the University of Wales, and regular BBC broadcasts with his own band. Over the course of his career Barry has worked as an arranger/composer and musical associate on numerous Hollywood films, Concert Tours, and BBC Recordings and Broadcasts. He has covered the whole gamut of music, from conducting Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song And Dance in London's West End to the composition of a 50-minute Beatles symphony. Barry began conducting the BBC Big Band on a regular basis in 1977. He has built an unparalleled repertoire for the band, transcribing the best of big band music from early Ellington, through the Swing era, to the likes of Gerry Mulligan and Buddy Rich. Unrealised ambitions to swim the Channel, play rugby for England, row for Cambridge, defeat Kasparov at chess, and invent a new computer language for Microsoft, are more than compensated for by the thrill of fronting the BBC Big Band!
