2024 Concert Season
This year's free concert series takes place between April–November 2024. We have a star-studded array of incredible musicians lined up and we can't wait to welcome them all to perform at Howden this year!
Advance booking is optional but recommended.
You can also join our email mailing list to receive regular updates and information about all upcoming Howdenshire Music concerts.
Thursday 16 May 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Benjamin Frith & Heidi Rolfe (piano duo)*
PICTURES FROM THE EAST
Be transported to the world of Arabian Nights! Internationally-renowned pianists Benjamin Frith and Heidi Rolfe take us on a magical journey to eastern lands, featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's exhilarating 'kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images' Scheherazade and Schumann's evocative Pictures from the East.
Benjamin Frith is one of the most versatile, respected and engaging pianists in the UK. With over 60 recordings, Frith is at the forefront of the craft of music making. Gold Medal winner of the Artur Rubinstein Piano Masters International Competition, Tel Aviv, and Top Prize Winner in the Busoni International Piano Competition, Frith has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras and conductors including Zubin Mehta with the IPO.
"Does any pianist draw a lovelier sound from the keyboard..." – BBC Music Magazine on Benjamin Frith
Heidi Rolfe has worked with many eminent pianists including the legendary Andre Gavrilov and taken musical guidance from the late Dame Fanny Waterman. She has given a Piano Duo Day at the Wigmore Hall performing four hand and two piano repertoire with her husband, Benjamin Frith. An interest in combining music and drama has also led to various award-winning performances broadcast by the BBC. This season sees Heidi performing in Alistair McGowan’s Ludlow Piano Festival.
Schumann Pictures from the East, Nos. 2 & 4, Op. 66
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35
*Please note change to previously advertised performers: The Luc Sisters piano duo are no longer able to perform due to unforeseen circumstances. We are delighted to welcome renowned artists Benjamin Frith and Heidi Rolfe in their place.
Saturday 8 June 2024, 7.30pm
Gala Evening Concert: Sophie Rosa (violin) & Ian Buckle (piano)
"Finely judged detail, expansiveness and lots of heart"
– The Guardian
Join us for a special free gala evening concert with two renowned musicians performing some of the most beautiful and life-affirming classical music of all time.
Sophie Rosa has given recitals at leading venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall, appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata, and broadcast live for BBC Radio 3. Ian Buckle enjoys longstanding associations with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the John Wilson Orchestra, appearing as soloist on numerous occasions, and has played concertos with the Royal Philharmonic, Opera North and Sinfonia Viva. Sophie and Ian perform together regularly in recital. In 2021 they released a digital EP, ‘Dream Valley’, which was highly acclaimed in BBC Music Magazine and selected as 'Classical Album of the Week' in The Guardian.
Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Beethoven Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Kreisler Midnight Bells
Kreisler Syncopation
Interval - refreshments available
Clarke Lullaby
Elgar Sonata in E minor, Op. 82
Thursday 20 June 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Anthony Thompson (trumpet) & Graziana Presicce (piano)
Anthony Thompson has performed with Lesley Garrett and the Sixteen, duetted with Sting and played for Pope Benedict XVI! He is currently principal trumpet and soloist with the New English Orchestra and appears regularly on BBC radio and television.
Graziana Presicce recently gained her PhD in Music Performance from the University of Hull. In May 2023 she appeared as soloist with the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra. She also recently gave the recorded premiere of works by the Hull-born composer Ethel Leginska, alongside baritone Lee Tsang, featured on BBC Radio 3.
Vaughan Williams How Cold the Wind Doth Blow
Anthony Hedges Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, Op. 137
Elgar Chanson de Matin
Elgar In Smyrna
David Gawthorpe Here
Thursday 4 July 2024, 1pm-2.15pm
Special Event: Young Musicians Lunchtime Concert with Hull Piano School
Come along and hear performances by the award-winning young students from Hull Piano School!
Programme
Ravel Mother Goose Suite, with projected illustrations by Beverley artist Annamaria Dutto
Short works by Chopin, Grieg, Amy Beach, Granados, Bartók, Clementi and Lester Hough
This concert will feature performances by Yuqi Chen, Dylan Wang, Emma Wang, Felipe Delaney, Jack Rodriguez and Hai Yang (Ocean) Shi. These talented local young musicians have featured on Trinity College London's 2023 Hall of Fame and won top prizes at the Paris Concours de Piano.
The School's director, Lester Hough studied with Vincent Packford in Oxford, a pupil of Harold Craxton. As a composer he has a growing profile internationally and has had performances in Lviv (KLK New Music with Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra), Munich (Carl Orff Festival), Havana (International Festival of Contemporary Music) and this year in Augustenborg, Denmark.
Thursday 18 July 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Flutes & Frets - Beth Stone (flute) & Daniel Murphy (lute/guitar/theorbo)
IT'S ABOUT TIME: A musical journey through the centuries
Beth Stone (flute) is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and works with renowned ensembles including the Academy of Ancient Music, Ex-Cathedra, London Handel Orchestra, the Taverner Consort and The Sixteen.
Daniel Murphy (lute/guitar/theorbo) studied at the Royal College of Music and now regularly collaborates with ensembles such as Ex-Cathedra, Florilegium and London Baroque Orchestra. He regularly performs lute song with singers including Emma Kirkby, Mary Bevan and Hugh Cutting and has featured on Radio 3’s Early Music Show performing music for King Charles II.
Flutes & Frets have performed to great acclaim across the UK and Europe, with recent highlights including London International Early Music Festival, Alpen Classica Festival and the National Gallery.
Anon Lamento Du Tristano; La Rotta
Francesco Rognoni Canzon del Mortara detta la Porcia
Thomas Campion Selected Songs
Honoré d’Ambruis Air “Taisez Vous Ma Mussette”
Arcangelo Corelli Follia
Georg Philipp Telemann Methodical Sonata in G minor
Mauro Giuliani Duetto Concertante Op. 52
Nikolai Kapustin Sonatina Op. 100
Chick Corea Spain
Thursday 15 August 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Benjamin Frith (piano)
"Does any pianist draw a lovelier sound from the keyboard..." – BBC Music Magazine
Benjamin Frith is one of the most versatile, respected and engaging pianists in the UK. With over 60 recordings, Frith is at the forefront of the craft of music making. Gold Medal winner of the Artur Rubinstein Piano Masters International Competition, Tel Aviv, and Top Prize Winner in the Busoni International Piano Competition, Frith has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras and conductors including Zubin Mehta with the IPO. Renowned for his critically acclaimed recordings, Frith made Gramophone ‘Disc of the Year’ with his recording of Stanford's Second Piano Concerto. As pianist in the Gould Piano Trio he has toured extensively throughout North America, and as guest pianist in the illustrious Nash Ensemble he has performed and recorded to critical acclaim.
Scarlatti Sonatas K.132, K.146 & K.115
Martin Ellerby Andalusian Preludes, Book 2
Liszt Liebesträume No. 3
Chopin Three Waltzes, Op. 70
Chopin Ballade No. 3, Op. 47
Saturday 7 September 2024, 7.30pm
Gala Evening Concert: Red Priest
"Sheer technical wizardry, charismatic showmanship and expressive devilment"
— BBC Music Magazine
Join us for an unmissable free gala evening concert with the world-famous baroque ensemble Red Priest!
Red Priest has been at the cutting edge of baroque music performance for over a quarter of a century. Named after the original ‘red priest’ Antonio Vivaldi, the quartet has developed a truly unique style, combining high-energy performance, boundary crossing arrangements and theatrical presentation, delighting audiences across the globe.
Programme to include works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and much more
Thursday 19 September 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Harriet Burns (soprano) & Rebecca Cohen (piano)*
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HUMAN NATURE
A programme of song exploring our profound, joyful, and sometimes adversarial relationship to the natural world
"Harriet Burns's voice is brilliant and rich, comfortable even in stratospheric heights" – BBC Music Magazine
British soprano Harriet Burns is fast developing a reputation as a "polished, witty, expressive and sweet-toned" (The Times) performer both in recital and on stage. An acclaimed interpreter of song, Harriet has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Oxford International Song Festival, Leeds Lieder Festival, Ryedale Festival and de Singel. Recent highlights include King Harald's Saga (Judith Weir) for Waterperry Opera and Handel's Messiah with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Rebecca Cohen has performed at Wigmore Hall, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, National Concert Hall, Dublin and the Mozarthaus Vienna. Recent engagements include the world premiere of a new BBC Radio 3 Commission on In Tune for International Women’s Day and a BBC Radio 3 broadcast with Claire Barnett-Jones as part of the Belfast International Festival of Chamber Music 2023.
Aaron Copland Nature, the gentlest mother
John Ireland Sea Fever
Charles Stanford Soft Day
Franz Schubert Rastlose Liebe
Robert Schumann Du bist wie eine Blume
Franz Schubert Die Blumensprache
Richard Strauss Epheu
Benjamin Britten The Last Rose of Summer
Dorothy Parke Song in Exile
Christopher Churcher Sky Songs
Raymond Yiu The forest hit by modern use
Anna Semple I am not yours
James Wright Quilled Sonnet
Cole Porter The Tale of the Oyster
*Please note change to previously advertised performer: Stephanie Wake-Edwards (mezzo-soprano) is no longer able to perform due to unavoidable circumstances and we are delighted to welcome Harriet Burns (soprano) in her place
Thursday 17 October 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Nicolò Biemmi (bassoon) & Giulia Contaldo (piano)
Returning to Howden by popular demand after their sensational performance in 2022!
Nicolò Biemmi has played with world-renowned orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic, working with great conductors such as Daniel Harding and Zubin Mehta. He has been invited to play principal bassoon with many major orchestras including The Hallé and the Orchestra del Teatro "La Fenice" di Venezia.
Giulia Contaldo recently performed Schumann's Piano Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 ("a dashing account" – The Guardian). She has won prizes at numerous major international competitions and appeared as soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Manchester Camerata.
Eliodoro Sollima Aria
Saint-Saëns Sonata for bassoon and piano
Giovanni Sollima Il bell’Antonio (Tema III)
Françaix Two Pieces for bassoon and piano
Ravel Deux mélodies hébraïques
Orselli Reminescence de La Traviata
Thursday 21 November 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: Michael Foyle (violin) & Maksim Štšura (piano)
"Astonishing mutual feeling, understanding and responsiveness"
– Seen and Heard International
"Richly detailed and impassioned performances"
– The Daily Telegraph
Michael Foyle launched his career by winning The Netherlands Violin Competition 2016. His London debut followed with a recital at the Wigmore Hall and since then he has performed recitals in the UK’s most prestigious venues, including Buckingham Palace, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Bridgewater Hall and Usher Hall, regularly being broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Maksim Štšura studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hamburg and the Royal College of Music in London, and won the BPSE Intercollegiate Beethoven Piano Competition in 2013.
The Foyle-Štšura Duo was formed in 2012 and won the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in 2015. Since then, the duo has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Usher Hall in Edinburgh and The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Kreisler Liebesleid
Kreisler Schön Rosmarin
Tchaikovsky Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42
Fauré Après un rêve
Fauré Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13
Past Concerts 2024
Thursday 18 April 2024, 1pm
Lunchtime Concert: The Bridge Ensemble (wind quintet)
'Music in the Round' Young Artists
The Bridge Ensemble champion music by marginalised composers from backgrounds under-represented in chamber music. Opening with Valerie Coleman's joyous Kwanza dance Umoja and concluding with a brand new Afrobeat-inspired work by the group's clarinettist Olá Akíndípe, this concert was an exhilarating tour through too often overlooked works.
The Bridge Ensemble comprises Meera Maharaj (flute), Michael Stowe (oboe), Olá Akíndípe (clarinet), Benjamin Garalnick (horn) and Daria Phillips (bassoon). Its members have performed with the internationally-acclaimed Chineke! Orchestra, at the BBC Proms and at Wigmore Hall.
Valerie Coleman Umoja; Red Clay
Paul Hindemith Quintet
Florence Price Adoration
Arturo Márquez Danza de Mediodía
Ọlá Akíndípe Èkó Scenes
Thursday 29 February 2024, 1pm
Special Event: "All the Right Notes!" – Exploring Grieg's Piano Concerto
Simon Callaghan, piano
Simon Chalk, conductor
"Velvet-gloved pianism of ravishing sensitivity" – The Strad on Simon Callaghan
International concert pianist Simon Callaghan explored the history and performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto. This iconic work, written when Grieg was just 25 years old, is full of soaring melodies and dazzling piano writing, and contains one of the most beautiful slow movements ever written.
Simon Callaghan was joined by acclaimed conductor Simon Chalk to discuss and demonstrate this legendary concerto from a performer's and conductor's perspective and to answer audience questions.
Howdenshire Music was delighted to present this special event in partnership with Hull Philharmonic Orchestra.