Ryedale Festival 2022: Putting the district on the map for classical music and culture Yorkshire News

Now, anticipation is building as the full program for Ryedale Festival 2022 is revealed, featuring world premieres, jazz, folk and more.

The festival, which takes place from July 15 to 31, features 52 concerts featuring more than 300 artists and with audiences traveling from as far away as the Americas and Europe.

There will be master classes, ensembles and choirs, candlelight concerts and a troubadour route, alongside internationally renowned cellists and harpists.

In settings ranging from country houses and stately homes to small historic churches, this year’s festival promises world-class artists and classical music performers.

Artistic director Christopher Glynn said this is a celebration of music but also of Ryedale.

“It is a festival immersed in its local community but of international quality,” he said. “That’s what makes it exciting. People come from all over the world to enjoy it, artists come from all over the world to perform. It’s a way of putting Ryedale on the map, drawing people to the region and to Yorkshire.

“And it has a lot to do with the place – there are so many wonderful places in Ryedale. It’s about filling them with music.”

Concerts will take place on stages from Hovingham Hall to Duncombe Park, Castle Howard, Birdsall House, Ampleforth Abbey and Scarborough Spa, as well as daytime recitals in the district’s idyllic old churches.

Already, a community song cycle by Joseph Howard has seen primary school pupils perform with local choirs in performances inspired by old Pickering Church murals.

Now among the festival’s six world premieres is a medley of ABBA songs by electric violinist Roberts Balanas, to celebrate the Swedish group’s 50th birthday.

Julian Philips will also commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams with Looking West, inspired by the ancient stories and landscapes of the North of England.

Handel’s music will feature prominently, with a pop-up production by Acis and Galatea to visit three of the region’s churches.

Opera singer Dame Janet Baker is among the highlights, as is classical pianist Stephen Kovacevich alongside stars of a new generation with the Kanneh-Masons musical family.

And while some of these main events have already sold out, with long waiting lists, there is also the National Youth Choir and Johan Dalene. Other world firsts include shows from Roxanna Panufnik, Errollyn Wallen and Tarik O’Regan, and Callum Au.

Mr Glynn said: “We live in a world where, with the push of a button, we can stream any music at any time. It’s about making live music, in beautiful places, a unique performance every time. There is something in the magic that lives in that moment.”

First formed in 1981, by four musician friends looking to launch a series of small concerts, the Ryedale Festival has grown in importance to showcase artists from around the world.

It now has a reputation as one of the most enterprising summer festivals in Europe, attracting visitors from all over Europe. When it went online during the pandemic, its reach only grew; now, that will continue, with RyeStream used to share performances. Visit the Ryedale Festival website for a full list of events.

____________________________________________________________________________

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on the site, get free access to our app, and receive exclusive member offers. Click here for subscribe.