Programme 2024

The culmination of our Festival education project led by the wonderful Neil Valentine involving local schoolchildren who will devise from scratch and perform their own original songs alongside our Festival musicians and others.

Aestus Quartet

Festival String Quartet, Gould Piano Trio, Katharine Dain

Haydn String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76 No 3 Fifths
Piers Hellawell Up By The Roots
Amy Beach Three Songs Op. 21
Ravel Piano Trio in A minor

Lucy Gould, David Adams, Simone van der Giessen, James Toll, Richard Lester, Kate Gould, Aestus Quartet, Katharine Dain

Wagner Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, arr. for sextet by Sebastian Gürtler
Piers Hellawell The Still Dancers – Invocation III: Floating
Berio Sequenza lll for solo soprano
Arensky Cello Quartet in A minor Op. 35

Lenny Sayers presenter, Festival String Quartet
Don’t miss this chance to introduce children to classical music from all over the world in a very relaxed setting. Presenter Lenny Sayers and international Festival performers will explore a fascinating range of short piecse by Haydn to Piazzolla with lots of fun audience participation. Primary school age encouraged but the concert will be entertaining and illuminating for all ages 1 – 100!

Eminent cellist, Richard Lester, coaches the Aestus Quartet playing Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E♭

Directed by David Adams, Festival String Orchestra, Aestus Quartet, Katharine
Dain, Max Baillie, Kate Gould

Mozart Divertimento in D K.136
Barber Adagio for Strings
Arvo Pärt Fratres for solo violin and strings
Mozart Exsultate Jubilate for soprano and strings
Carl Vine Inner World for solo cello and electronic recording
Tchaikovsky Serenade in C Op. 48

Piers Hellawell gives his insights into the world of composition

Aestus Quartet, Katharine Dain, Festival String Quartet, Gould Piano Trio, Simone van der Giessen, Marianne Schofield

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn String Quartet in E♭
Fauré La Bonne Chanson Op. 61
Piers Hellawell Weaver of Grass
Debussy String Quartet in G minor Op. 10

for Patrons, Associates, Volunteers and Artists

Inspired by the great fiddler Fritz Kreisler, the Fritz Brothers transport some of classical music’s most beautiful melodies to New Orleans and Paris of the 1930s… With an all-star lineup up led by violinist Max Baillie and clarinet player Ewan Bleach, this band brings you uniquely re-imagined versions of tunes by Rachmaninov, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and more, alongside some swing jazz and manouche classics.

Liz Kenny, James Toll, Richard Lester

Biber Sonata for Violin & Basso Continuo No 3
Gabrielli Ricercar II in A minor for solo cello
Corelli Sonata for Violin & Basso Continuo in A Op. 5 No 9
Kapsberger Toccata I from Libro Quarto d’Intavolature di Chitarrone for solo lute
Corelli Sonata for Violin & Basso Continuo in D minor Op. 5 No 12 La Follia

Gould Piano Trio, Festival String Quartet

Brahms Piano Trio in C minor Op. 101
Germaine Tailleferre String Quartet
Bongani Ndodana-Breen Safika – Three Tales of African Migration
Mendelssohn String Quartet in F minor Op. 80