ENCOUNTERS, the York Early Music Festival 2021, will be briefer than first trailered.

Already cut from its usual ten days under the Covid constraints, the live festival now will run from July 12 to 15, rather than until July 16 after the Government's Step 4 lockdown easement was delayed from June 21 to July 19.

This has ruled out the participation of Spanish Baroque ensemble L'Apothéose, winners of the 2019 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, along with Ensemble Clément Janequin, from France, and the Italian-Spanish trio sonata ensemble La Vaghezza. In their stead come two late additions, British vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six and Florilegium.

"The festival may have shrunk from ten days to four, but it's still jam-packed with concerts, which will be one hour in length, with no interval and no reserved seating, audience members being seated on arrival within social bubbles" says festival director Delma Tomlin.

"Because any musicians who lived outside of the UK had to consider the need to quarantine or the consequences of a positive Covid test once here, it just wasn't worth the complications for them or us.

"The good news is that L'Apothéose will now play their Young Artists' Showcase and record here next March; we hope to carry EEEmerging artists La Vaghezza over into the 2022 festival, though that will not be possible for Ensemble Clément Janequin, and the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition will definitely return at next summer's festival, after the competition couldn't happen this year."

Delma expects that plenty of international musicians who had to forego performing in the 2020 festival, after being booked for the aborted original programme, will now play at the 2022 event. "Next year's festival is filling up already, but not yet with a theme in place!" she says.

In another sign of Covid-times, the 2021 festival is a non-brochure event. "We had boxes and boxes of brochures for last year that we then had to recycle, once everything changed, and since then we've doing everything online," says Delma.

"So we've been reliant on people looking online constantly for updates and programme details for our 2020 Christmas festival, the Awaken concert series, the Beverley and East Riding Early Music Festival, and now this summer's festival, but I can confirm we'll produce print in the autumn for the 2021 York Early Music Christmas Festival."

Roll on Monday's opening concert "At last, we're able to welcome audiences back to York in person," says Delma. "The theme of Encounters, most vitally between audience and artists, seems particularly pertinent at this time when we can celebrate the joy of music making and being back together again to appreciate these glorious sounds together.

"For over a year, our home of St Margaret's Church has been missing the energy and excitement that live audiences bring to us and we can't wait to throw our doors wide open again."

Both the opening and closing concerts will be performed twice at the National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate: Monteverdi String Band, led by Oliver Webb, on July 12 at 6.30pm and 8.45pm and The Gesualdo Six on July 15 at the same times.

"We'll clean everything down and put the same concert on 90 minutes later," explains Delma. "The 6.30pm concerts are sold out but we still have tickets available for the later performances.

"Oddly enough, The Gesualdo Six were meant to be playing at a festival in France at this time but couldn't go, so we've been able to accommodate them, and Ensemble Clément Janequin, who can't come here, will now be playing in France!"

Florilegium step into the festival breach to perform a Celebrating Bach programme at the NCEM on Wednesday at 7.30pm, joining a festival line-up of guest artists such as harpsichordist Steven Devine with Robin Bigwood (St Lawrence's Church, Hull Road, Tuesdfay, 1pm) and violinist Rachel Podger (St Lawrence's Church, Tuesday, 9.15pm).

The Society Of Strange & Ancient Instruments present their weird and wonderful Trumpet Marine Project (The Citadel, Gillygate, Wednesday, 1pm, sold out); lutenist  Jacob Heringman celebrates Josquin des Prez in Master of the notes II: Inviolata (Merchant Adventurers' Hall, Fossgate, Wednesday, 9.30pm, sold out) and bass Matthew Brook, in tandem with York classical leading light Peter Seymour, performs Amore Traditore Cantatas for bass and harpsichord (St Lawrence's Church, Thursday, 1pm).

Delma is particularly delighted to announce the festival will be working in partnership with the Alamire Foundation, in Flanders, to present a long-awaited concert at York Minster by renaissance vocal ensemble Stile Antico in Tuesday's 7.30pm programme of Josquin des Prez Master of the notes I: Missa Sine Nominee on the 500th anniversary of the Franco-Flemish genius.

The live festival may be shorter, but the event will still run to Sunday in an online festival, YEMF '21 Online, available from Thursday to the weekend, after the success of last summer's first online package.

"This will include concerts recorded during the festival alongside specially commissioned highlights by the Rose Consort of Viols and the University Baroque Ensemble," says Delma.

"The Gesualdo Six will open this four-day online festival with their livestreamed concert from the NCEM, at St Margaret's Church, on Thursday at 6.30pm.

"The online festival provides us with the opportunity to share some of the festival highlights with the widest possible international audience, presenting concerts filmed by digital producer Ben Pugh and sound engineer Tim Archer in some of the city's stunning venues: Merchant Adventurers' Hall, St Lawrence Church and St Margaret's Church."

The online festival will be available to view on demand until August 13 2021 and tickets will be on sale until August 6 at ncem.co.uk. Live festival tickets can be booked on ncem.co.uk too.