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The Alkan Society was founded in 1977 by the late John White and others. It aims to stimulate interest in the life and work of the French-Jewish composer and virtuoso pianist, Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888).
The Society has members in both the UK and abroad, including in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. We work closely with the Société Alkan in France, which was founded in 1986, as well as sometimes holding joint meetings with the Chopin and Liszt Societies. The B'nai B'rith Festival of Jewish Culture has also organised Alkan-based events. Several important musicians have contributed to meetings, including the pianists Ronald Smith (the Society's President), Leslie Howard, Thomas Wakefield, Hamish Milne, Stephanie McCallum and Jack Gibbons, the organists Nicholas King and Bridget Marshall, and scholars including Richard Shaw, Hugh MacDonald (the author of the Alkan article in the last two editions of the "New Grove"), Harold Truscott, Ruth Jordan, Janet Ritterman and Alexander Knapp.
We publish a Bulletin containing concert, broadcast and record reviews, previews of events; Alkan news from around the world, and the occasional article from members or reprint of significant papers. There is also a discography of all known recordings (now available on our website at www.alkansociety.org ), and an AIkan Society Library of scores, recordings, books and theses, held in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
The Alkan Society is an official Registered Charity in the UK (no. 276199).
For more information and to see listings of forthcoming events, visit our website where you may also register to join the Society if you wish, or e-mail us. Both links in the contact box at top.
