Elizabeth Watts is at Milton Court [Marco Borggreve]

ONE of the (many) things music can do is give new life to silenced voices; and a shining example comes to London on Oct 20 when Songs of Nadia Anjuman, a brand new work for voice and orchestra by the eminent composer Richard Blackford, plays at the Guildhall School’s Milton Court concert hall.

Nadia Anjuman was an Afghan poet living under the Taliban regime who fought for women’s rights, for the chance to pursue an education, and the opportunity to publish verse. As a result, aged 25, she was beaten to death by her husband – who served a month’s imprisonment for his crime.

Fortunately, some of her work survives and it’s been taken by Blackford as the basis for this piece, which will be sung by the radiant soprano Elizabeth Watts with the Britten Ensemble – a group that knows a thing or two about survival, having managed to keep going since the loss of its entire Arts Council funding in last year’s notorious cull. Booking: barbican.org.uk

• Also at the Guildhall School this week are free events at which you can witness two leading pianists of today give masterclasses to potential leading pianists of tomorrow. On Oct 20 it’s Richard Goode; on Oct 25 it’s Jonathan Biss; and in both cases expect to witness outstanding (not to say super-articulate) musical minds at work. Details: gsmd.ac.uk

• When Arts Council England abandoned the Britten Ensemble to an uncertain fate, it did the same to English National Opera, which has been in crisis ever since. Things got measurably worse last weekend when the company announced that it planned to cut its orchestra by a quarter, and music director Martyn Brabbins promptly resigned in protest. So these are not good times for ENO. But somehow it staggers on, with the joyously irreverent Iolanthe already discussed in this column (it runs to Oct 25), and a revival of its cool, contemporary-dress Traviata which opens Oct 23 and continues to Nov 12. Richard Farnes conducts. eno.org

• I first met the young Polish pianist Krsyzstof Moskalewicz when he was living in Highgate, and am interested to see (a) that he has a new recording out, and (b) that there’s a concert to celebrate it at the National Liberal Club (by Embankment station) on Oct 27. It features music by Chopin alongside new pieces by Chinese composer Sun Keting. And it takes place in the room where Rachmaninoff gave his last London recital: see if you can feel the lingering presence. kettnerconcerts.co.uk

• Guitar enthusiasts have what you’d think was a good week ahead, with two stars of the instrument giving London recitals: only problem, they’re both on the same evening, Oct 20, so you need to make a choice. The hot young Sean Shibe plays Villa-Lobos and Bach at Kings Place, while the longer-established Craig Ogdon plays Rodrigo and Vivaldi at St Mary le Strand. If it’s a deal-breaker, Ogdon’s concert is by candlelight. Otherwise, details at kingsplace.co.uk and stmarylestrand.com

• Finally, the irrepressible Crouch End Festival Chorus sing what can only be a big performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers at Alexandra Palace on Oct 21. Soloists include Nicholas Mulroy. cefc.org.uk