The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár

10, 14, 17, 21, 24 July

La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi

11, 15, 18, 22, 25 July

La clemenza di Tito by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

19, 23 July (Buxton)

31st July, 1st, 2nd August (Norwich)

8th June 2026 An Evening of Opera, Beaconsfield

29th July 2026 An Evening of Opera at Homme House

11th December Festive Concert at The Wesley Centre, Malton

4th October 2026 Sunday music at The Wesley Centre, Malton

12th July 2026 Summer Music at The Wesley Cenre, Malton

27th May 2026 Humans and Nature, Bristol

17th April 2026 Lake District Music Festival Spring Series, Grange-Over-Sands

17th April 2026 Schools Workshop, Grange-Over-Sands

29th March 2026 Wesley Centre Series launch, Malton

10th, 12th, 27th, 28th December

UK Tour

17th February 2027, University of Sheffield Rush Hour Concert 5:45pm

Sensoria: Ancient Traditions for Modern Times

Hildegard von Bingen: O Virtus Sapientiae an Improvisation by HHill

O strength of Wisdom, circling around,

Envelop (us) in thy life-giving path,

Three splendid wings thou ever hath,

in earth, in heaven, and all around:

Praise be to thee, with joyous sound,

O Wisdom. 

Rhiannon Randle: Barcarolle for solo viola  (2020)

‘The gentle ebb and flow of grey-blue waves, the distant tolling of buoy-bells and the lapping of water, a lullaby that turns tumultuous with the ever-changing weather and tides: Barcarolle for solo viola is, in a word, a seascape. Wind gently whispers one moment and howls the next. Rhythms are established and interjected. But the ever-changing nature of the water itself brings about a strangely familiar sense of calm that bookends the piece with a reflective, lake-like stillness. 

As with my other Jumis Ensemble commissions in this series, embedded within Barcarolle are numerous folk songs of an English origin, in homage to the English violist and dedicatee Henrietta Hill. Among these include the sea shanty Lowlands Away, though perhaps the most prominent is the well known and loved Scarborough Fair: quotations can be glimpsed in amongst counterpoints and lulling rhythms, concluding with a final iteration of the quote in full towards the end.’

Programme note © Rhiannon Randle 2020 with thanks to The Vaughan Williams Foundation

Improvisation - Dance music from John Playford’s book: The Dancing Master (1651)

Hilary Tann: The Cresset Stone (1994)

A cresset stone is a medieval method of lighting – a hollowed-out stone, filled with oil, with a lighted wick. Near the composer’s home in Ferndale, Wales, the ancient cathedral at Brecon contains a remarkable example of such a stone. It was this stone, in its stone cathedral context, which directly inspired the composition. The Cresset Stone is a meditation on stone and light which begins and ends in stillness. The inner sections contain references to the final Kyrie of an eleventh-century Gregorian chant. – HT

Kenji Bunch: The 3 G’s for Solo Viola (2011)

Viola with three strings tuned to G - Bluegrass fiddle music shines through. The bluegrass style blends Appalachian string music with blues, jazz, and British folk traditions.

The origin of bluegrass music can be traced to the people who came to America in the 1600s from Ireland, Scotland, and England and brought with them basic styles of music that are generally considered to be the roots of modern bluegrass music.  As the settlers began to move out into North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, they wrote songs about daily life in the new land.  Since most of these people lived in remote areas, many of the songs reflected life on the farm or in the hills.  This music was often referred to as country, hillbilly, or mountain music.  Its development included the blending of elements from gospel music and the blues music that was prominent among people of African origin who lived in the Mississippi Delta region.  The invention of the phonograph and the onset of radio in the early-to-mid 1900s brought this music out of the hills and into the homes of people all over the United States.  

David Matthews: Chant (1997)

A meditative blend of viola and voice

J.S. Bach: Chaconne from Partita No.2 for solo violin, transcribed for Solo Viola

The repeated harmonic progression builds the repetition for both dance and rituals alike. Bach’s famous Chaconne embodies the emotional buildup and release found in the amazing patterns of the everyday.

Festive Oboe Quartets, St Endellion, Cornwall Saturday 6th December