Last Thursday, two outstanding musicians were joined together at a special evening to support The Thomas Frederick Willets Foundation fundraising event at London’s Mint Hotel in Tower Bridge, as part of the hotel’s ongoing Arts and Culture Programme. 

The star guests of the night were the highly acclaimed and talented cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber, and top pianist and Steinway scholar, Tianhong Yang. They would be playing to support the fantastic work of the foundation, which reaches out into communities across the UK with support for disadvantaged young people through arts and music programmes.

It was a perfect summer’s evening; the sun was just setting, light streaming in through the large windows of the sophisticated Fenchurch Lounge at the Mint Hotel. Upon arrival, we were greeted with champagne, and canapés were scoffed heartily by the waiting crowd. The first artist to play was Tianhong Yang, whose beautiful melodies floated magically out of the Steinway piano and into the spacious lounge. As I sat back in the comfy chairs, I started to feel a tinge of envy, wishing I hadn’t been quite so quick to give up my piano lessons as a youngster. Following Yang’s performance was the fantastic Julian Lloyd Webber, who set us all in a trance with his dreamy sounds of Mozart which he seemed to play so effortlessly.

Mint Hotel’s Arts and Culture Programme includes professionally curated changing exhibitions of visual art across the group’s eight hotels and a range of activities and promotions made possible through a network of partners in the arts who represent the best in contemporary culture. Well worth a visit I reckon!