York Chamber Music Festival, February 13 to 15

The festival, whose patron is the cellist Stephen Isserlis, is based at the Bootham School arts centre and offers recitals and concerts spread over a long weekend. The performers, most of whom teach at national conservatoires, also will give masterclasses to young musicians.

The festival’s founder and artistic director is York-born cellist Tim Lowe, a former York Minster chorister who studied the cello with his mother, the nationally acclaimed teacher Sue Lowe. Tim, 29, is guest principal of the English Chamber Orchestra and a teaching professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a soloist he has played in all the main concert venues in London and around Britain, including at Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, Cadogan Hall and St John’s Smith Square.

Performing with Tim will be violinists Bartosz Woroch and Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola player Sara Tricky, cellist Pierre Doumenge and pianists Carole Presland, Andrew Brownell and Paul Feehan. Festival highlights will include an evening recital by Lowe and Brownell in the York Guildhall on February 13 at 7.30pm and concerts by the festival artists at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, on February 14 and at the Guildhall on February 15.

Lunchtime recitals will take place at 1pm on the Friday and Saturday at Bootham School and masterclass on all the afternoons of the festival. The festival music will include chamber works, such as Elgar’s late masterpiece, the Piano Quintet, as well as Sibelius’s rarely heard String Trio and quartets and trios by Haydn, Mozart and Brahms.

The weekend also will incorporate the finals of two competitions for young chamber music groups on the mornings of February 14 and 15. Please note, all events are open to the public.

Looking forward to the festival, Tim says: “Last year we had a glorious weekend of music making, some great teaching and learning and a very high standard of playing in the competitions. It has thrilled me to return to my home city and continue this opportunity for Yorkshire audiences and young musicians to hear playing and teaching from leading performers. This year’s festival again promises a feast of some of the most beautiful music with highly regarded musicians who love to play and enjoy their weekend of music-making in York.”

Tickets can be obtained from Bootham School music department on 01904 623261, at yorkchambermusicfestival.co.uk or on the door. Tickets are free for under -16s but should be obtained in advance.