NEWBURY Spring Festival returns for 2015 with 45 concerts in 20 venues over two weeks in May.
The festival, which is now in its 37th year, presents some of the world's finest musicians in around Newbury, taking in rural villages and local stately homes including Englefield House and Highclere Castle.
International symphony orchestras, ensembles and soloists will rub shoulders with jazz legends, world music artists and the stars of tomorrow.
Among those performing are this year's John Lewis Young Star Ruby Hughes, returning after recent triumphs and Dinara Klinton for her debut with the Philharmonia.
Ruby Hughes
Mark Eynon, festival director, added: “We also welcome back John Lill as a judge of this year's competition, where Rachmaninov and Scriabin will be the featured composers, as they will also be for Peter Donohoe's recital.
“Making their festival debuts are BBC Symphony Orchestra, Classical Opera, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and their compatriots, Goldberg Baroque Ensemble.
“Other distinguished visitors include Mahan Esfahani, Adam Walker, Hyeyoon Park, Daniel Mulhall, CrossHarbour, Endellion String Quartet, Voces8, Tenebrae and Calefax.”
At Newbury Corn Exchange, jazz greats Julian Joseph, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, and Ronnie Scotts' All Stars contrast with shows which have a strong musical element: Ballet Central and Charles Court Opera present traditional lyric theatre, while Concert Theatre, combining physical theatre with live music and musical play The Imperfect Pearl are radical new hybrids.
Bernard Herrmann's widow Norma will introduce a concert including arrangements of her late husband's music, including the soundtracks from the Hitchcock films Psycho and Vertigo by Tippett Quartet before a screening of the movies themselves.
The Hollywood theme develops with Clare Martin's Hollywood Romance, Gary Williams's Sinatra Jukebox, Harry the Piano's A Night at the Movies, Swell Party Company's Till The Clouds Roll By and with Robert Harris's interview From Page to Screen, where we will discuss his career in the movies.
The festival runs from May 9-23 and tickets for all events are on sale from 10am on March 5.
Find out more online at newburyspringfestival.org.uk.
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