THE North York Moors Chamber Music Festival will celebrate the moorland's beauty by bringing soaring classical music to historic churches across the National Park from August 13 to 26.
Now in its ninth year, the festival will feature more than 40 classical artists performing 50 different works in St Hilda’s, Danby; St Hedda’s, Egton Bridge; St Stephen’s, Fylingdales; St Nicholas, Guisborough; All Saints, Helmsley; St Mary’s, Lastingham; St Oswald’s, Lythe; St Peter and St Paul, Pickering; St Hilda’s Priory, Sneaton Castle, and St Hilda’s, Whitby.
Taking the theme of Arcadia, each concert will mark different aspects of nature, with titles such as Prisms Of Light, The Elements and Cosmos. Works by Elgar, Schumann, Liszt, Beethoven, Fauré and Vivaldi will be performed by notable musicians and festival favourites such as The Cremona Quartet, Katya Apekisheva, Rachel Kolly d’Alba, Matthew Wadsworth and mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley.
The festival’s founder and artistic director, North York Moors cellist Jamie Walton, is on a mission to take music to more remote locations and make it accessible for all, bringing communities together. Tickets for each concert cost £12.50, £5 for students and free for children under 16.
"Each year we take our audiences through a specific theme, exploring thrilling music within the context of the environment we are so privileged to be part of," says Jamie. "August is when the moors are rampant with heather and the vast expanse of our National Park comes into its own."
Jamie Walton: taking music to remote locations on the North York Moors. Picture: Tony Bartholomew, Turnstone Media
The festival is going from strength to strength. "Last year we launched our own record label, Ayriel Classical, with the aim of capturing the excitement and spirit of the festival, building upon a discography to showcase the talent it attracts," says Jamie.
"We're due to release our next recording in September but festival-goers will enjoy access to exclusive limited-edition copies before it’s internationally released digitally. Plans are also underway to equip and convert a barn into a recording studio up on the moors in time for our tenth anniversary, something we’re currently fund-raising for."
The festival was founded in 2009 by Walton, who is supported by a creative team that includes photographer Paul Ingram, artist Carol Tyler and filmmaker and photographer Frank Harrison. This year, the event has been shortlisted for a Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Award in the Tourism Event of the Year category.
Among this summer's musicians will be Jill Allan, clarinet; Katya Apekisheva, piano; Simon Blendis, violin; Simon Browne, violin/viola; Thomas Carroll, cello; Meghan Cassidy, viola/violin; the Quartetto di Cremona quartet; Julia Doyle, soprano; Ruth Gibson, viola; Rebecca Gilliver, cello; Adam Johnson, piano/harpsichord/conductor, and Cerys Jones, violin.
Performing too will be Rachel Kolly d’Alba, violin; Roman Mints, violin; Emily Nebel, violin; Brian O’Kane, cello; David Pipe, organ; Victoria Sayles, violin; Charlotte Scott, violin; Virginia Slater, viola; Philip Smith, baritone; Simon Tandree, viola; David Tollington, French horn; Matthew Wadsworth, lute/theorbo; Jamie Walton, cello; Dan Watts, flute/piccolo; Karolina Weltrowska, violin, and Anthony Williams, double bass.
For more information on this month's programme, visit northyorkmoorsfestival.com
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