What’s On This Week: 20th July – 26th July 2009

The weather may not have been too encouraging this past week but we Brits are well used to soldiering on through July with cheery optimism and in that vein, there’s plenty happening to celebrate the Great Outdoors in the City this week. 

The prize for ‘most gung-ho’ (aka brave) must go to the Barbican for their ‘Do Something Different’ weekend, a range of free activities from the festival standard dancing classes and al fresco live music to the less conventional staring contests, ice-cream making sessions and sandcastle building competitions.  There’s obviously a family focus but the live music sessions run well into the evenings and promise an energetic and lively collection of Brazilian Music and brass ensembles that will appeal to all ages.  Just pretend that golfing umbrella is really a giant cocktail umbrella… 

Barbican’s neighbours, Guildhall School of Music, are also venturing outside this Thursday for their ‘Inside Out: Picnic Music’ concert on the steps of LSO St Luke’s.  The up-tempo young Matt Fripp Jazz Trio will be providing the soundtrack to your cucumber sandwiches with a mix of Jazz, Latin and Bossa Nova in this laid-back, free lunchtime affair. 

The Exmoor Singers are feeling a little more cautious and have chosen to bring the outdoors indoors with their ‘Echoes of Nature’ concert on Monday at St Giles Cripplegate.  They’ve chosen an interesting programme of folk-ish choral music inspired by the natural environment, ranging from play-it-safe Benjamin Britten to the remember-we-used-to-sing-it-at-school ‘Who Killed Cock Robin?’, a brave choice by even the daring Barbican’s standards.