10 April 2026
Humboldt penguins at London Zoo formed an attentive and rather unusual audience this week, as musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra paid homage to William Walton’s Fanfare at Penguin Beach.
The private performance took place ahead of a special After Dark concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, part of London’s iconic Southbank Centre, on 15 April, to honour our 200th anniversary.
A historic piece returns
William Walton’s Fanfare holds a special place in ZSL history: it was originally composed in 1976 to mark the organisation’s 150th anniversary, and will now be performed publicly for the first time in 50 years as part of the upcoming concert.
This revival forms part of ZSL’s anniversary celebrations, with our anniversary on 29 April marking two centuries of pioneering science, global conservation and inspiring people to connect with wildlife.
Music meets wildlife at the Southbank Centre
The upcoming After Dark performance will see the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s brass and percussion players present a lively and varied programme inspired by wildlife.
Following a performance of Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals earlier in the evening, the celebration will open with Walton’s historic Fanfare. The programme then moves into Chris Hazell’s The Cats Suite, taking audiences on a playful sonic safari, before concluding with Goff Richards’s Homage to the Noble Grape.
The concert celebrates not only our rich history, but also the important connection between culture, creativity and the natural world.
Celebrating 200 years of connection with nature
For two centuries, ZSL has brought people closer to wildlife - from early scientific research to our global conservation efforts today. From concert halls to conservation zoos, these connections remain at the heart of ZSL’s mission: to inspire, inform and empower people to protect and restore wildlife for future generations.
Celebrating 200 years
Founded in 1826, ZSL has spent two centuries working to restore wildlife and support ecosystems around the globe. Today our mission continues through conservation projects in more than 80 countries, alongside our two conservation zoos: London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo.