Music Inspired by Literature

Join us for a free concert for all the family presenting music for orchestra, choir and band inspired by literature and framed around the music of Richard Stoker, a British composer and Professor of Composition. 

Musicians from the University of Surrey and the town of Guildford perform excerpts from Stoker’s opera Johnson Preserv’d reimagining the final meeting of Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, joined by professional singers Olivia Carrell, Siân Cameron, Michael Gibson, and Andrew Davies. 

Find out more about the archival research that resurrected this opera, which yields insights into an extraordinary moment in eighteenth-century British culture and society and a meeting-point between different countries and cultures at the intersection of fact and fiction. 

The programme also includes Stoker’s song settings of texts by Shakespeare, Emily Brontë and Ralph Waldo Emerson, solo and chamber music, pieces composed specifically for children and even some popular music! 

When not composing, Stoker also appeared as an extra in many well-known films, so we’ll complete our programme with a medley of music from Pirates of the Caribbean. We’ll also perform Shostakovich’s famous arrangement of the song Tea for Two, plus a selection of much-loved tunes by George Gershwin. 

You'll have the opportunity to get closer to the instruments, meet the musicians and share your experiences about the music you hear. All ages welcome, recommended children from 7+.

Please see the event webpage for further information and to book tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/universityofsurrey3/2336418

This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 5-14 November 2026. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information, please see beinghumanfestival.org