Festival talks

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Details of both talks during the festival are now confirmed:

Of romance, role-models and… hedgehogs? Johannes Brahms meets the Schumanns
Thursday 7th April 6:30pm-7:15pm, Peter Harrison Room, Beverley Minster
In advance of our opening concert, researcher, writer and presenter Katy Hamilton gives us an introduction to the complex musical and personal triangle of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Taking our name, New Paths, from Robert’s response to Brahms’ music (‘Neue Bahnen’), we are focussing on the music of these three musicians throughout the festival – so come and find out about them! Katy has made several appearances on BBC Radio 3, as a Brahms specialist and as part of the CD Review team, and has provided concert introductions and programme notes for the National Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Royal College of Music, and the Wigmore Hall.

Shakespeare in English Romantic Song
Sunday 10th April 2:30pm-3:15pm, Beverley Memorial Hall
Well-known to local audiences as an esteemed professor at the University of Hull, and to international audiences as a leading Shakespeare music scholar, Professor Christopher R Wilson here gives us an insight into Shakespeare in English Romantic Song, ahead of our Shakespeare Celebration. His book Music in Shakespeare is the most comprehensive study of all the musical terms found in Shakespeare’s complete works and is acknowledged as an indispensable reference work for scholars and practitioners. Come and glean insights into the afternoon’s programme from the top expert!

Both events are free, and places can be reserved by emailing info@newpathsmusic.com.

Baritone: Alexander Robin Baker

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We will be joined during the festival by baritone Alexander Robin Baker, singing English song in the War Commemoration concert and taking part in our Opera Gala.

Here he is singing Ya vas lyublyu, which will feature in our Opera Gala:

“The production was fortunate in fielding a strongly played, funny Papageno in Alexander Robin Baker, whose attractive voice and natural comic timing had the audience eating out of his hand and his robust way of charming the birds out of the trees.” – Classical Source

Tenor: Nick Pritchard

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Our opening concert will feature the first ever song cycle, 200 years old this year. Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte is a beautiful evocative tale of love transported through nature, and we are delighted that tenor Nick Pritchard will sing it for us.

Nick is busy singing St John and St Matthew Passions in the coming months, including a semi-staged performance in St Albans Cathedral. He will also be singing roles for Opera North and English Touring Opera this season, including the world premiere of Mark Simpson’s new chamber opera Pleasure, a family tragedy played out against the backdrop of a gay nightclub, which will first be performed in Leeds.

Here is Nick singing some more familiar repertoire – Schubert’s Ganymed – last year at the Southwell Music Festival, accompanied by Libby Burgess. Together they will also perform Schubert in our opening concert.

Flautist: Ian Denley

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We are delighted to welcome local man Ian Denley as our festival flautist.

Ian is known to local audiences as principal flute in the Hull Philharmonic and visiting tutor in flute at The University of Hull – but he is also an experienced recitalist and concerto soloist and has played on BBC Radio and at the Wigmore Hall.

Mezzo-soprano: Anna Huntley

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Anna Huntley is taking the music world by storm at the moment, and has just been listed as this month’s BBC Music Magazine ‘Rising Star’ in their ‘Great Artists of Tomorrow’ series. Congratulations Anna!

Here she is singing a tearjerking The Water of Tyne – Anna’s own part of the world – recently at the Wigmore Hall:

Anna will be singing in various concerts throughout the festival – exquisite songs by Fauré and Hahn in our French lunchtime concert, rich songs by Brahms including his atmospheric viola songs in our Viennese coffee concert, and operatic favourites in our Saturday night opera gala.

Clarinettist: John Slack

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Our festival clarinettist is John Slack. He divides his time between Glasgow and London, which puts Beverley roughly half way along his commute! John is Clarinettist and General Manager of the Berkeley Ensemble, who have recently released their second disc to outstanding reviews. Gramophone included the album, Lennox Berkeley: Chamber Works, as a Critics Choice of 2015, and the September BBC Music Magazine selected it as Chamber Choice.

Here are the Berkeley Ensemble to whet your appetite:

John will be performing Mozart’s effervescent Clarinet Quintet and Schubert’s beautiful Shepherd on the Rock with Mary Bevan in Saturday’s Coffee Concert.

Tickets are on sale!

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Tickets for our April festival are now on sale! All events are listed on our events page and further details about obtaining tickets are on the tickets page.

We hope to see you in Beverley in April!

Come & Sing artists

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Our full line-up of visiting artists for the Come & Sing Fauré Requiem on 27th February is announced, and it’s a stellar team!

Conductor: Ashley Grote
Organ: Tim Harper
Soprano: Katherine Crompton
Bass Baritone: Edward Grint

Have a look at their profiles, now live on our Artists page.

Remember to sign up if you wish to sing in this special performance. Further details here.

Tenor: David Butt Philip

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Outstanding operatic tenor David Butt Philip will be joining us to perform in our Opera Gala.

David recently performed the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème at English National Opera to unanimous critical acclaim.

“On the basis of his Rodolfo here, it will be a travesty if he doesn’t go on to enjoy an illustrious career. The voice is a glorious one: warm, large, and ringing vibrantly through the high-lying phrases that Puccini lavishes on the poet, with never a hint of fatigue. All delivered with immense bravado and Italianate style. Every inch the young, besotted lover, he manages the transition through desperation, bitterness and, ultimately, to tragedy with immense aplomb.” – Steve Silverman, Opera Britannia

Come and hear him in the East Riding Theatre!

Violist: Simon Tandree

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Our viola player for the festival will be the superb Simon Tandree.

Simon performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in festivals across Europe and has given masterclasses in countries around the globe including India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, the United States, Israel and many countries in Europe.

Between 2007 and 2013 Simon played in the world-renowned Doric String Quartet with whom he played regularly in some of the greatest halls in the world including the Wigmore Hall in the UK, the Concertgebouw in Holland and the Vienna Konzerhaus in Austria.