Six June events with live audience go on sale today, heralding a welcome return to (almost) normality for audiences and performers.
With only a few weeks to go, the line-up for the hour-long socially-distanced events at West Road Concert Hall has just been announced, and features the Festival’s trademark diverse programming and celebration of hugely talented young artists.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason shot to fame
after winning the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016 and performing at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018. He features in two of this June’s concerts, one as soloist in
Dvorak’s Cello Concerto alongside the full orchestra of the
London Mozart Players (5 June) and the other as recital partner to his equally talented sister
Isata in a programme for cello and piano of
Rachmaninov, Bridge and Britten (28 June).
The Kanneh-Masons have both played with the celebrated
Chineke! Foundation orchestras – Britain’s first minority ethnic orchestra – who appeared at the Festival in 2017 and 2018, and who return on 21 June in ensemble form with
Schubert’s Trout Quintet and works by
Florence Price. The
12 Ensemble – named after the number of players and described as having “spunk, originality & class” by The Strad – combines blistering
Shostakovich (his Chamber Symphony) with works by
Dowland,
Caroline Shaw and
Thomas Ades in their concert on
25 June.
Matinee and evening performances along with a £8 ticket for under 18s will appeal to a broad audience; whilst a Covid-safe environment (along with no-questions-asked ticket refund policy) will give ticket-holders confidence to return to the concert hall for this mini ‘pop-up’ version of the annual Festival.
