The Great Gatsby - Songs on the 1920s and 30s (feat. Vera Lynn)
About this Event
BBC Four star and Canadian singing sensation Patricia Hammond and sell-out Fringe 2025 pianist Matthew Leigh Shiel, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(EdinburghGuide.com), party like it's 1926! Inspired by Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, their fashion and musical programme recreate the golden age of art deco and jazz. Includes poignant remembrance of those who fell in WWII and the music of Vera Lynn. Count down our top 10 chart hits from the roaring twenties – sung and played live! Fringe Classics internationally rated: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(EdinburghGuide.com), ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(BingeFringe.com), ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (TheUpsideNews.com), ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (MissmandaMedia.com).
“a most enchanting concert”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Edinburgh Guide
“masters of their crafts”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Binge Fringe
“profound”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Corr Blimey
Patricia Hammond
Singer
Described by the Sunday Times as “a leading lady of the retro party scene”, Patricia Hammond is a singer who can go from Cathedral to cocktail bar, and change from Handel to hot jazz in the same night.
Her album of Belle Epoque French Salon songs was chosen by the editor of American Record Guide as one of his favourite classical vocal albums of 2007, and in 2011 Sir Michael Parkinson praised her CD of 1920s, 30s and 40s pop songs as “a music-box of vintage treasures, beautifully sung by a remarkable woman.”
Since then, she has headed up candlelit vintage evenings at Covent Garden Concerts in 2022/23, been a soloist alongside Dame Emma Kirkby and Helen Charlston for Voces8’s Live From London series in 2021, featured on BBC4 making a wax cylinder and an Edison Tone Test in 2018, in the Fox/Searchlight movie “Tolkien” in 2017, and in the Bundestag in Berlin for Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron for the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Patricia has been featured on BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, and Radio 4’s “Midweek” with Libby Purves.
Matthew Shiel
Matthew Shiel is a British pianist who performs 200+ performances every year across UK, USA and Australia in partnership with the Edinburgh, Brighton, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hollywood Fringe Festivals.
In 2025, Matthew Shiel made history by performing the world’s first piano recital of music composed by artificial intelligence at the Edinburgh Festival; his performance was subsequently commissioned by Dame Wendy Hall’s Web Science Institute (University of Southampton) and broadcast on Al Jazeera.
He has notably performed at Usher Hall and The National Portrait Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh), The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Newcastle), Glasgow City Halls and has performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (broadcast on BBC Radio 3) and The Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marine Band Scotland.
Matthew has received multiple 5-star reviews in the press:
“a most enchanting concert” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Edinburgh Guide
“masters of their crafts” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Binge Fringe
“profound” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Corr Blimey
Matthew is an Usher Hall and Live Music Now Scotland artist, artistic director of Fringe Classics and a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Fringe Classics
fringeclassics.com
Fringe Classics is an international performing arts company that exports classical music to fringe festivals around the world. We organise 200+ performances every year across UK, USA and Australia in partnership with the Edinburgh, Brighton (UK), Adelaide, Melbourne (Australia) and Hollywood (USA) Fringe Festivals. We also creatively adapt classical concerts for festive occasions including Burns Night, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas.
Our performances have been broadcast on Al Jazeera; have been commissioned by Dame Wendy Hall’s Web Science Institute (in association with the University of Southampton) and have received multiple 5-star reviews in the press:
“a most enchanting concert”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Edinburgh Guide
“masters of their crafts”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Binge Fringe
“profound”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Corr Blimey
We embrace the unbridled creativity and experimental aesthetic of fringe festivals. We embrace communication between classical music and other musical genres including jazz, folk and pop. And we embrace interdisciplinary collaboration with storytellers, visual artists, dancers, filmmakers and even computer scientists to push the boundaries of what a classical concert can be and create the 'performance of the future.'
In 2025, Fringe Classics made history by performing the world’s first piano recital of music composed by artificial intelligence at the Edinburgh Festival and this historic event was broadcast on Al Jazeera.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 11.00 to GBP 28.33
