Late Programme Change for Iris Axon Concert

Yoon Seok Shin to perform solo after Clare Deniz withdraws due to illness

Clare Deniz and Yoon Seok Shin

February 26, 2026

The Iris Axon Concert Series has announced a late change to this Sunday’s recital, after cellist Clare Deniz was forced to withdraw due to illness. Her accompanist, the pianist Yoon Seok Shin, has generously agreed to step in with a full solo programme, ensuring the concert can go ahead as planned at 4pm on Sunday 1 March.

Shin, who is well known to audiences for his expressive musicianship and has received international acclaim for his performances, will now present a wide‑ranging programme that moves from Classical clarity to Romantic colour and twentieth‑century re‑imaginings. His recital will open with Schubert’s Allegretto in C minor, D.915, followed by Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, K330. Chopin’s Four Mazurkas bring a contrasting set of intimate character pieces, while Handel’s Minuet in G minor, arranged by Wilhelm Kempff, offers a moment of poised elegance.

The programme continues with Rameau’s “The Arts and the Hours” from Les Boréades, in the arrangement by Víkingur Ólafsson, and the slow movement of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056, in Shin’s own transcription. The afternoon concludes with Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A minor, a work that showcases both virtuosity and dramatic flair.

The original programme, which was to have featured Couperin’s Pièces en Concert, Beethoven’s variations on “Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen”, Fauré’s Romance Op. 69 and Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 5, will no longer be performed. The series has expressed its gratitude to Shin for stepping in at short notice and ensuring that the concert can still offer a rich and engaging musical experience.

There will be no concert on 19 April, as the scheduled quartet has cancelled and the date cannot be filled.

The recital takes place at Acton Hill Church, W3 9BU, on the corner of High Street and Woodlands Avenue, next to Chaiiwala and opposite Acton Police Station. Programmes are available at the door, priced at £10, with £5 concessions and free entry for children.

The Iris Axon Concert Series is an annual season of short (60-70 minute) monthly recitals on Sunday afternoons at the Acton Hill Church. The series was started by Music Director Jane Schopf in 2004 to provide a venue for young musicians starting on their professional careers, many of whom have subsequently enjoyed international success in competitions and on the concert platform. The series has continued to grow and now attracts established international artists as well.

Originally called the Acton Classical Music Concert Series, it was re-named in 2009 in memory of one of its most loyal supporters, Iris Axon, who made possible the purchase of a concert grand, handmade by Clive Pinkham.

The church is deemed ideal for concerts as it has the largest unsupported wooden barrel-vault ceiling in London which brings out the middle harmonics, creating a luxuriously warm sound.

Concerts are usually held on the first Sunday of the month at 4pm. Programmes at the door. There are crèche facilities available.

More information is available at classicalconcerts-acton.com.