Best bets

Joshua Bell & The Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Date: May 26 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts

With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and conductor, Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of his era, and his restless curiosity, passion, and multifaceted musical interests are almost unparalleled in the world of classical music. Named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2011, he is the only person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958, and recently renewed his contract through 2020. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world's premier chamber orchestras, renowned for its fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world's most-loved classical music. Through its live performances and vast recording output - highlights of which include the 1969 best-seller Vivaldi's Four Seasons and the soundtrack to 1985's Oscar-winning film Amadeus - the Academy quickly gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound.