Kings Place Jazz Orchestra: 70yrs West Side Story

Kings Place Jazz Orchestra returns to Hall One to celebrate 70 years of Bernstein’s iconic West Side Story. At its heart is Creative Director Callum Au’s six-movement suite, reimagining the musical’s most famous melodies for big band.

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Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story made its Broadway debut in 1957 and has become one of the most enduring works of musical theatre. For this anniversary celebration, KPJO’s Creative Director, Callum Au, brings its music into the world of the big band with his continuous six-movement suite.

Callum’s West Side Story Suite for Big Band is based on some of the most famous melodies from Bernstein’s musical. The suite was first performed during *West Side Story*’s 50th anniversary year at Cadogan Hall’s Out to Lunch festival. It reinvents the well-known music from the show, with each movement giving a new big band twist to Bernstein’s melodies, from the shifting time signatures of Something’s Coming to the electric, Jaco-influenced America and the pensive, gospel treatment of Somewhere.

Kings Place Jazz Orchestra is a handpicked, project-based ensemble made up of some of the UK’s finest jazz and big band musicians, alongside rising young artists. Founded in 2025, the orchestra was created to bring the powerful, immersive sound of the big band to the heart of Kings Place.

This event will last approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including the interval.