A hushed Minster Quire awaiting the medieval sounds of compline – the shining light of Gaia wafting through from the nave.
A small child in dungarees jumping up and down and shouting ‘hooray’, watching, captivated, inches from some of the finest musicians in the land.
A relaxing of shoulders and spreading of smiles as the opening notes of Beethoven’s first cello sonata sounded in a sunny Toll Gavel church.
A depth of shared sorrow in the candlelit chancel of St Mary’s as the string team bared their souls in Vasks’ war-torn third quartet.
The begging and borrowing of chairs from bar and dressing rooms for Gran Partita as the capacity audience streamed endlessly in.
The euphoria of the local Hub’s young wind players as they demonstrated their progress and new skills under our Inspire tutors.
The audible breathed ‘wow’ from audiences at the end of pieces by Hilary Tann, or Joey Roukens, or Christiane Martini.
The laughter and team spirit amongst the musicians letting their hair down round a large table in Nellie’s.
The quiet comment of a mum at the baby and toddler concert who said we’d ‘given her part of her soul back.’
There are too many moments from the festival to pick out – too many individuals beaming with joy or moved to tears, too many breathtaking moments of beauty and brilliance.
And it’s hard to sum up in words the spirit of something so profoundly ‘in the moment’ as a New Paths festival.
But it has been an extraordinary week. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it – on stage, in the audience, behind the scenes. Our old friends were delighted to be back, our new friends were bowled over by the town of Beverley and the spirit of New Paths. What takes place in these festivals is incredibly special: thank you to our phenomenal musicians, generous audience, and tireless team for making it the week it was.
Feedback
Many of you make a point of saying lovely things to us as you leave our events – thank you for all your kind words! If you would be willing to put these comments in writing, it would be really helpful to us, as we try to describe to describe the value and nature of our work to potential funders. You can do that here:
There is also space on this link to give suggestions for future festivals. We know how tiresome it is being bombarded from all angles with requests for feedback, so please forgive us!
Make a donation to support the work of New Paths
We work hard to keep ticket prices affordable, but therefore depend heavily on donations to continue our work. If you enjoyed the festival this year please consider supporting us here; whether your gift is small or large, it will be most gratefully received.
Join our postal mailing list
Receive a printed copy of future festival brochures to your door.
Follow us on social media
See our latest pictures and updates across our channels.
Spring
We can’t wait to see you all in the Spring: the festival will run 10th – 14th April (the first concert on the evening of Wednesday 10th and the last the evening of Sunday 14th). Plans are well underway and Beverley is a very special place in the springtime. Join us then!
