Friday 4th September

19.30: Opening Concert

Solstice String Quartet: Show Biog | Hide Biog First prize winners in the 2009 Royal Over-seas League Competition, the Solstice String Quartet is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most talented young quartets in the country. Selected by both the Tillett Trust and Park Lane Group in 2008 the quartet made their debuts at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room in 2009. Established whilst studying at the Cambridge University in 2003, they currently hold a full scholarship at the Instituto Internacional de Música de Cámara de Madrid where they study every month with Prof. Günter Pichler of the Alban Berg Quartet. They have been awarded the Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music from September 2009. The quartet has performed throughout the UK and internationally, performing at major music festivals such as Dartington, Vale of Glamorgan Festival, Canterbury 'Sounds New' Festival and Aberystwyth, and has performed live on BBC Radio 3. Other notable performances include Barber's Dover Beach with baritone Steven Varcoe, and Mendelssohn's Octet with the Szymanowski Quartet and with the Sacconi Quartet; the quartet also enjoys ongoing collaboration with distinguished clarinettist David Campbell, with whom they have performed quintets by Brahms, Mozart and Bliss, and with pianist Tom Poster with whom they recently performed the Schumann piano quintet. Plans for the 2009-10 season include a return to the Wigmore Hall and performances at LSO St. Luke’s, the premiere of Giles Swayne’s Fourth Quartet at the Cambridge Music Festival, and performances in London and Paris in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery and Musee d'Orsay. Alongside a passion for the classical quartet cannon, interest in new music is a motivating factor for the quartet; it has given performances of music by prominent contemporary composers including Joe Cutler, John Tavener, John Metcalf and Giles Swayne. The quartet recently gave the premiere of a major new work by Joseph Phibbs for quartet and soprano, and in August 2009 they will premiere a new work by Graham Ross which they have commissioned. Looking further ahead the quartet plan to premiere Giles Swayne's Fourth Quartet, and to make a recording of his complete works for string quartet. Additionally, they plan to perform works by two members, Nicholas Shardlow and Gregor Riddell, who are both composers. This is combined with educational work; the quartet has coached players at the Benslow Music Centre, and at Wells Cathedral School, and in February 2009, coached on the 'Da Capo' Course at ProCorda. The Solstice String Quartet has been fortunate to have enjoyed coaching from many eminent musicians; and have been particularly fortunate to have worked with members of the Alban Berg Quartet, and Hugh Maguire. Alongside a close association with the Britten-Pears Young Artists' Programme they have recently attended the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York, where they studied with the Juilliard String Quartet. The quartet are grateful to the Musicians' Benevolent Fund for their support. Haydn quartet in D op 76 no 5 Mendelssohn quartet in A minor op 13 Schubert quartet in A minor D 804 'Rosamunde'

Saturday 5th September

15:00: Tea time recital Violin - Min Jin Kym: Show Biog | Hide Biog Min-Jin began playing the violin aged six, and a year later was accepted as a scholar at the Purcell School of Music in London, their youngest ever pupil. At eleven, Min-Jin appeared on worldwide television, winning first prize at the Premier Mozart International Competition in Bologna, Italy, and made her international debut at the age of thirteen with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. She was immediately invited to perform with the Seville Symphony Orchestra and in recital at the 'Serenate d'Estiu Festival' in Spain. At fifteen, she became the youngest student ever to be awarded a Foundation Scholarship at the Royal College of Music and went on to study with Ruggiero Ricci in Salzburg. Min-Jin is the first recipient of the prestigious Heifetz Prize awarded by the Jascha Heifetz Society in Los Angeles. Her recording of the Lalo Symphonie Espagnole with the LSO under Barry Wordsworth received critical acclaim. Her new recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, with Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Beethoven Sonata in C minor with Ian Brown, will be released on Sony BMG Masterworks on 25th February 2008. Min-Jin has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras including, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the LPO, the RPO, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Dresden Staatskapelle, working with eminent conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Giuseppe Sinopoli. She has also performed regularly at international festivals, in concerto and recital with her duo partner Ian Brown. A second tour of South Africa is scheduled for the Spring, and Min-Jin will also be touring within the UK throughout 2008. Piano - Ian Brown: Show Biog | Hide Biog Ian Brown is a musician of great versatility whose career embraces solo playing, chamber music and conducting. As a concerto soloist he has played with many of Britain’s leading orchestras including the BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, the London Sinfonietta and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. He has also appeared as soloist in Messaien’s Oiseaux Exotiques at the Proms. He is pianist of the Nash Ensemble and during this long association has played at all the major British festivals, appeared annually in their Wigmore Hall Series and recorded a large repertoire of chamber music. He also teaches chamber music at the Royal Northern College and at Cambridge University. He is in demand as a duo player working with many distinguished musicians including Rostropovich, James Galway, Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, Gyorgy Pauk and Dame Felcity Lott. For some years he had a regular partnership with Henryk Szeyring and most recently has recorded and toured in Russia with Maxim Vengerov. He also has a regular duo with Min-Jin Kym. In recent years he has worked as conductor with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonietta. He made his London debut conducting a highly successful prformance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony at the Barbican. He works with orchestras in Poland and the Czech Republic recently touring Germany with the Janacek Philharmony and the Leopoldinum Orchestra of Wroclaw. He also works with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra as director and soloist. Following performances of Bruckner with the Philharmonia Orchestra he has a series of concerts with them next season. Schubert Sonatina in D major op.137 no.1 Prokofiev 5 Melodies Brahms D minor Sonata op.108 19:00: Celebrating Schubert with Bishop Michael and friends Piano - Rt.Rev Michael Marshall: Show Biog | Hide Biog Bishop Michael has recently retired from Holy Trinity, Sloane Square. A gifted preacher and writer he has broadcast on BBC Radio and regularly writes for the Times and Daily Telegraph. Bishop Michael is also a gifted pianist and has performed concertos with RPO, LPO and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also lectured on the Spirituality of Schubert and Mozart and is currently working on a lecture series on the music of Beethoven. Tenor - Dan Turner: Show Biog | Hide Biog Daniel was born in 1983 in Northampton where he received his early musical education as a chorister in the famous St. Matthew’s Church and also as a piano student of Christina Griffin. Daniel later moved to All Saints Church in Northampton where organ lessons with Simon Johnson led to studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford where he read for a degree in music and was also Organ Scholar. As an undergraduate Daniel also re-visited his voice and began to sing with the Choir of New College Oxford. With the encouragement of his tutors Daniel took some trial singing lessons with the tenor James Gilchrist and before long singing overtook the organ. Daniel has since studied with David Crown and David Pollard. Following graduation from Oxford Daniel has sung as both a solo and consort artist all over the world and has enjoyed a period as a Lay Clerk with the Choir of New College Oxford under the direction of Edward Higginbottom with whom he has recorded widely. Recent performing highlights have included Messiah in Sweden, Handel’s Esther on tour in Italy, concerts of Britten’s Canticles with the countertenor James Bowman, Monteverdi Vespers with the London Handel Players, Handel and Purcell in the Hermitage Museum in Russia and appearing as Evangelist with various choirs in the St. John Passion. Daniel has also collaborated with the pianist David Owen Norris on projects involving Elgar’s song music and a new song cycle by Hugh Brunt written especially for Daniel and David. Daniel recently made his debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Daniel has been fortunate to work with distinguished artists including Harry Christophers, Nicholas Cleobury, Marc Elder, John Elliot Gardner and Edward Higginbottom. Daniel is looking forward to a busy 2009 with concert work across Europe including Acis and Galatea and concerts in Moscow alongside his continued studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with the world-renowned teacher Janice Chapman. Schubert - Impromptus, Moments Musicaux, Arpeggione Sonata, Songs.

Sunday 6th September

11.00: Festival Mass

Schubert Mass in G with Holy Trinity Choir and Orchestra.

15.30: Tea Time Concert

London Bridge Ensemble: Show Biog | Hide Biog Since making its Wigmore Hall debut in 2005, the London Bridge Ensemble has rapidly established itself as one of Britain’s most exciting and brilliant chamber groups. Their subsequent festival appearances have included City of London Festival, the Kerry Chamber Music Festival, Leicester International Music Festival’s lunchtime series and Ponte de Lima Festival in North Portugal; other engagements include a return visit to the Wigmore Hall and concerts at Sheffield Music in the Round, St. David’s Hall Cardiff, St. George’s Bristol and Bridgewater Hall Manchester. In April 2008 the Ensemble presented a brand new festival in Winchester, the home town of its cellist Kate Gould, and their recent return, for the 2009 Winchester Chamber Music Festival, drew a full house at every concert. In the spring of 2008 they released a CD of works by Frank Bridge to critical acclaim, including recommendations by both Gramophone and International Record Review. The disc is part of the Epoch series for the Dutton label. The London Bridge Piano Quartet - Daniel Tong (piano), Benjamin Nabarro (violin), Tom Dunn (viola), Kate Gould (cello) “Sounds of unfailing beauty and warmth.” The Strad “I cannot recall a more persuasive realisation of the lovely [Bridge] Phantasie Trio – brain and heart are fully engaged” Gramophone “Ivan Ludlow was able to inject an urgency and yearning that was beautifully complemented by the instrumentalists’ responsive playing.” Classical Source “These stylish newcomers deserve a place at the top table next to such exalted predecessors as ..Benjamin Britten with members of the Amadeus Quartet..” Gramophone “Perfect performance by London Bridge Ensemble”, “international-class instrumentalists”, “notes of pure gold resonating from Gould's cello” Halifax Courier Schumann Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 88, Fantasiestücke Bach From The Art of Fugue, BWV108 Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47

Tuesday 8th September

13.10: Lunchtime Concert Violin: Jane Ng: Show Biog | Hide Biog The performing career of Malaysian-born violinist Jane Ng began at the age of seven when she gave concerts on both violin and piano. As a violinist, pianist, and composer, she has performed extensively at international festivals in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, Hungary, Latvia and the Czech Republic. She furthered her studies in London on full scholarships from both the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and the Royal College of Music, where she completed Masters Degree and an Artist Diploma with Yossi Zivoni. Recent performances include a highly successful recital debut at the Southbank Centre, Purcell Room, London, and the World-premiere of her own composition ‘The Pagoda of Dreams’ – Fantasia for Violin & Orchestra, as soloist with the Wandsworth Symphony Orchestra in June 2009. In the UK, Jane has won the Hastings and Hatfield Music Festivals. She has performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Hatfield Philharmonic Orchestra and Ravel’s Tzigane with the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra as representative of Benslow Music Trust’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Other recital highlights include the Leeds International Concert Series, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St John’s Smith Square, and Steinway Hall. She was selected as a Concordia Artist by the Concordia Foundation in 2008. Further recitals include Wooburn Festival, St Georges’ Bristol, and Milton Keynes. Jane currently performs on a 1750 Testore violin, kindly on loan from the Rin Collection. Although Jane is a solo concert violinist, she is also an accomplished pianist, maintaining her interest by regularly performing for the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. She has also accompanied for the London Cello Society. Piano: Fei Ren: Show Biog | Hide Biog Fei Ren graduated with a PGDip in Piano Performance with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in 2008, where she studied with Christopher Elton. She received third prize at the Second International Concerto competition in Timisoara, Romania, in 2008. Fei received the Lloyd Hartley Prize in 2008 from the Academy, and was a Finalist in the Keyboard section of the Royal Overseas League competition in 2007. Fei received a Masters’ degree with First Class Honours at the University of Auckland's School of Music, where she studied with Tamas Vesmas, and was the winner of the school's Concerto Competition in 2004. In 2005, she also won the National Concerto Competition, as well as receiving the Encouragement Award in the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition. Fei has performed with the Auckland Philharmonic, the Filarmonicii Banatul Timisoara, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and the Auckland Youth Orchestra. Fei is a busy chamber musician and has performed with various instrumentalists in venues such as St. Martin in the Fields and St. James Piccadilly. As a choral accompanist Fei has gained much experience with both professional and amateur choirs. Schubert - Violin Sonata in A major Poulenc - Violin Sonata Jane Ng - The Pagoda of Dreams - Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra

19:30: Evening Concert Tenor - Ben Johnson: Show Biog | Hide Biog Ben studied singing at the Royal College of Music with Neil Mackie and graduated with First Class Honours in 2006. Recently he has finished his training at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He won the First Prize at the 2008 Kathleen Ferrier awards, the first out-right male winner for 13 years. This award comes after much success at the RCM including the Lieder Prize, English Song Prize and the singer’s prize at the Gerald Moore Award as well as a prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. Ben is currently an associate artist of the Classical Opera Company and will be appearing in a concert of Haydn arias in March 2009 with the company at Kings Place, London. For the last two years Ben has studied with the tenor Tim Evans-Jones, with whom he continues to work. Ben is increasingly in demand as an oratorio soloist around the UK and Europe. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Harry Bicket, Peter Schreier, Andrew Parrott and Neil Thompson. He works regularly with the London Mozart Players; most recently taking part in the world premiere of Lynn Plowmann’s Cries Like Silence and also gave three performances of Lynn Plowmann’s cycle for tenor and strings The Star Gazer with the LMP. Last season saw Ben make his debut singing Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the National Philharmonic of Lithuania and this season he has sung Handel’s Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall and at the Hexagon in Reading. Ben is increasingly in demand as an oratorio soloist around the UK and Europe. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Harry Bicket, Peter Schreier, Andrew Parrott and Neil Thompson. He works regularly with the London Mozart Players; most recently taking part in the world premiere of Lynn Plowmann’s Cries Like Silence and also gave three performances of Lynn Plowmann’s cycle for tenor and strings The Star Gazer with the LMP. Last season saw Ben make his debut singing Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the National Philharmonic of Lithuania and this season he has sung Handel’s Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall and at the Hexagon in Reading. In 2005 Ben made his operatic debut in Handel's Rodelinda for Opera de Baugé, France and returned in 2006 to sing his first Don Ottavio. In September 2007 he played the title role in BYO's acclaimed production of Albert Herring and most recently sang his first Tom Rakewell in the BBIOS production of The Rake’s Progress. Recent engagements have included his debut with Scottish Opera as Tonik in Smetena's The Two Widows, Aceste Ascanio in Alba at Kings Place with the Classical Opera Company, the world premiere of Das Babylonexperiment by Matthew King at the Internationales KammermusikFestival Nürnberg and a concert of opera arias at Welsh National Opera. A committed recitalist, he enjoys a partnership with pianist James Southall and recent highlights have included a Schubert programme with Iain Burnside on the opening day of Kings Place Hall and an appearance at the Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson in January. Other future engagements include his BBC Proms debut, Wozzeck in concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Royal Festival Hall and in Italy, a return to Scottish Opera to cover Nemorino L’elisir d’amore, covering Phoebus The Fairy Queen with William Christie at Glyndebourne, recitals at the Herten Mendelssohn Festival with Graham Johnson and Hanno Müller-Brachmann, a recital at the Aldeburgh Festival with Malcolm Martineau, a recital with Roger Vignoles at the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra and Bach’s B Minor Mass at the Three Choirs Festival. Ben Johnson is represented by Intermusica worldwide. Piano - James Southall: Show Biog | Hide Biog James Southall started as a pianist at Welsh National Opera in September 2008. Since then he has played for La bohème and was the harpsichordist for Le Nozze di Figaro. Until July 2008 he was the holder of the David Bowerman Junior Fellowship at the Royal College of Music, having gained a distinction in his Masters degree in Piano Accompaniment there in summer 2007. At the College he was a student of John Blakely and Roger Vignoles and the recipient of the Kendall Taylor Award and the Sir Gordon Palmer Award. Last year James was awarded the MBF Accompanist’s Prizes in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards - where he collaborated with winner Ben Johnson - and the Maggie Teyte Competition. In March 2008 he made his Wigmore Hall debut in recital with violinist Haik Kazazyan. In 2007, he performed in the 60th Aldeburgh Festival as an alumnus of the Britten-Pears School and also at St John’s, Smith Square as part of Graham Johnson’s Young Songmakers Project. Before his postgraduate studies, James read music at Queens’ College, Cambridge where he was principal cellist of the Cambridge University Orchestra. Alongside his work as a pianist and repetiteur, James has been the chorus master of the Opéra de Baugé for the past three seasons and will makes his conducting debut there in July 2009 with Mozart’s La finta giardiniera. Songs by Schubert and Wolf

Wednesday 9th September

19:30: Evening Concert 'Italy in Song'  presented by singers and accompanists from the Royal College of Music

Thursday 10th September

13.10: Lunchtime Concert Sollertinsky Piano Trio: Show Biog | Hide Biog The Sollertinsky Piano Trio takes its name from the Russian musician Ivan Sollertinsky to whom Shostakovich dedicated his second Piano Trio. The musicians have all graduated with exceptional results from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. As individuals they have busy performing careers, highlights of which include concerts in the Purcell Room, St John’s Smith Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields and a live broadcast for BBC Radio 3. They have a busy performing schedule around the UK and recently performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Capriol Chamber Orchestra. They are currently on the Live Music Now scheme, which involves performances and workshops throughout the UK bringing live music to those who have limited access to conventional music-making. They are deeply committed to outreach and education work and as such bring chamber music to children in schools under the auspices of the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust. The trio have received coaching from Nigel Clayton, Richard Deakin, David Smith, the Chillingirian Quartet and the Schubert Ensemble. They were also recently invited to take part in a series of master classes with the Florestan Piano Trio. Forthcoming concerts include performances at the Bath Pump Rooms and Christchurch University and the trio will be attending the Lake District Summer Music Festival 2009. Malcolm Arnold – Piano Trio Schubert B flat

Friday 11th September

13.10: Family Concert ConCordae94 Harp Duo: Show Biog | Hide Biog ConChordae94, Danielle Perrett and Ellen Smith, have developed a unique musical dynamic in a collaboration which has existed for nearly two decades. From Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Versailles to concerto soloist at major international concert halls such as the Musikverein in Vienna and the Wigmore Hall in London, Danielle’s solo recital career spans the globe. Ellen also travels extensively with her harp; she has recently toured China with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and is often engaged as a solo artiste aboard Cunard’s prestigious ocean liners. As a specialist of the baroque Ellen particularly enjoys recital & concerto performances of the music of this period. Most recently ConChordae94 have given a performance at St. James’ Piccadilly in support of the work of the charity Maternity Worldwide. Much of their programming in 2009 has been a celebration of the music of three significant composers with anniversaries falling at this time; the 250th anniversary of the death of Handel, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mendelssohn and the 350th anniversary of the birth of Purcell for which ConChordae94 have commissioned and premiered a tribute by composer David Gough, to be performed this afternoon. ConChordae94 also have a large repertoire of classical and light music and are available to play for private functions. Handel Theme & Variations arranged by S. Watson Gough Variations on a Theme of Purcell Mendelssohn On wings of song arranged for 2 harps by C. Salzedo Monteverdi Pur ti miro from L' incoronazione di Poppea Bach Prelude from Partita no. 3 in E major BWV 1006 transcribed for 2 harps by M. Mchedelov

19.30: Evening Concert Ibuki Piano Trio: Show Biog | Hide Biog “…magisterially executed by the players…they achieved a climax of gripping intensity…the powerful finale was brought to a joyous and triumphant conclusion” Musical Opinion (June 2008) “I welcome this exciting and committed new trio. Their individual musical personalities blend into performances that make them a really vibrant and expressive ensemble” Frank Wibaut The young and dynamic Ibuki Trio was founded by pianist Kan Tomita, violinist Ben Wragg and cellist Laura Anstee who initially met as former class mates at the famous Purcell School of Music. In 2007 they reunited to form the trio and have since enjoyed a hugely successful debut concert at the LSO St Luke’s last year amongst other well received concerts around the UK. The ensemble name Ibuki is a Japanese word meaning breath, life and vitality. The trio has already been attracting enthusiastic followers and keen interest from record companies, agents and music critics alike. Their dedication to performance and thoughtful programming has earned them a recording project with the Claudio Records Label in which they are in the process of making their debut album with works by Ravel and Shostakovich. It is due for release this year. Further plans for this year include their Manchester debut at the world renowned Bridgewater Hall, which they were awarded following a successful audition for the Manchester Midday Concerts Series. Schubert: Piano trio in E flat Haydn: Piano Trio Hob XV:30 Ravel: Piano Trio

Saturday 12th September

St Saviour's 10.30 - 13:30: Schools piano class led by Gareth Owen. Holy Trinity 11.00 - 13:30: Master class with Julian Lloyd Webber and Jiaxin Cheng, string quartets from the London Colleges.

Holy Trinity 15.00: Afternoon Piano Recital

Gareth Owen: Show Biog | Hide Biog Gareth studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Joan Havill, where he was awarded the Premier Prix in 2000. He has also studied at the Academie International de Musique de Maurice Ravel in France and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. Gareth’s early performing career included recitals and concertos at the Wigmore Hall in London and major venues throughout Europe and North America. Touring with orchestras throughout Europe, Gareth received particular acclaim for his performance of Mozart’s Concerto in F K.415 with the Czech Chamber Orchestra. Recorded by Canal+Espana for national broadcast at the world-renowned Mozart Auditorium in Zaragoza, Spain, the press noted; “…Owen played the concerto with calm and phrasing of great beauty”*. Gareth was awarded the Leszek Dessent Prize for a recital of Chopin and was the sole recipient of the Grace Williams Memorial Prize in 2001. Since performing at the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2004, Gareth has continued to work extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. His programme of recitals has included venues in the Caribbean, Scandinavia, Switzerland and throughout the United Kingdom. The past three years have seen Gareth developing as a performer of Mozart and Schubert. He appeared at both the Buxted Festival and St. James’s Piccadilly in London performing Mozart’s Concerto in A K.488 and E Flat K.482. His performance at the Chelsea Schubert Festival in September 2007 has led to further recitals and a role as artistic advisor to the Festival Committee. In 2008 Gareth appeared at St. John's Smith Square, London with clarinettist Sarah Williamson and other engagements included concerts in Ireland, Greece and the UK. Engagements in 2009 include recitals in London, Festival de St. Remy, France and a tour of the UK with Ensemble Cymru. * Javier Sayas, El Periodico Scarlatti – Sonata in C, K132, Sonata in A minor K149 Schubert – Sonata in A minorD.784 Brahms - Klavierstüke op.118

19.00: Evening Concert

Soprano - Anna Devin: Show Biog | Hide Biog Irish Soprano Anna Devin is in her 2nd year on the award winning Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London under Janice Chapman. Previously she received first class honours for her B.A. in Music performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, under Colette Mc Gahon-Tosh. Whilst in Ireland she was a Young Artist with Opera Theatre Company which included her UK stage debut as Virtue and Damigella in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea with OTC at Buxton Opera Festival and Aldeburgh Proms 2006. Other operatic experience include The Anne Who Steals (King Goes Forth to France) - GSMD, Rezia (La Rencontre Imprévue) - GSMD, Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Bella (Midsummer Marriage), Sandmann (Hansel and Gretel) and Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) opera scenes directed by Stephen Medcalf at the Bridewell Theatre, Guilietta (I Capuleti e I Montecchi), Iphigenie (Iphigenie en Aulide) directed by Ashley Dean and Adina (L’elisir D’amore), Serpetta (La Finta Giardienera) opera scenes directed by Martin Lloyd Evans GSMD, The Plaint, Night, Attendant, 2nd Fairy (The Fairy Queen) – Aldeburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) RIAM. Anna is also highly sought after on the concert platform across Europe some highlights of the last year include Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, France, conducted by William Christie, Handel’s L’Allegro at the Gottingen Handel Festival, Germany, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at London Handel Festival, conducted by Laurence Cummings and soloist for the New Year Viennese Opera Gala concerts with the Ulster Orchestra at the Waterfront, Belfast. Her oratorio repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Tippett. In competition her UK successes include Maggie Teyte Prize and Miriam Licette Scholarship administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund 2009, Great Elm Award 2008, Stuart Burrows International Voice Award 2008, Singer’s Prize at the Gerald Moore Award 2008, London Handel Singing Competition winning the Audience Prize 2007, Thelma King Award for Young Singers in Bath, UK 2006, the Acton Travel Bursary at the RIAM 2006. Future engagements include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the London Handel Festival, RTE Lunchtime Series Concert with the NSO, Lunchtime Recital at John Field Room, Dublin, Second Fairy (The Fairy Queen) at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Governess (Turn of the Screw) at Aldeburgh, Wolf Italianishes Liederbuch at Chelsea Schubert Festival. Anna will be continuing her studies with the generous support of the Merchant Taylor’s Company Scholarship, AHRC, Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholarship, the Arts Council of Ireland, Wingate Scholarship, Independent Opera Scholarship and the RDS Music Bursary 2007. Baritone - Jonathan Sells: Show Biog | Hide Biog Jonathan Sells studied Music and Musicology at Cambridge University and is currently on the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, supported by Serena Fenwick and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, studying with Janice Chapman. Spotted by William Christie for Le Jardin des Voix, he has worked as a soloist with Les Arts Florissants at the Barbican Hall, Palais Garnier (Opéra de Paris), Teatro Real (Madrid), Chapelle Royale (Versailles), Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (New York). He also performs with I Fagiolini, notably in the 2008 BBC Chamber Music Proms, and has recorded Monteverdi’s Ballo dell’Ingrate (as Plutone) with them for Chandos. In Summer 2009 he toured with Sir John Eliot Gardiner as a soloist in Handel’s Israel in Egypt, and he will perform JS Bach's Weinachts-Oratorium in Israel over Christmas. Operatic experience includes Maximillian Candide, Noye, L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (Opéra de Paris), Der Mann in Hindemith’s Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, L’Orfeo (Teatro Real, Madrid), Leporello, Il Commendatore (Egarr, Snape Maltings), Count Almaviva, 2nd Man-in-Armour, Sarastro, Jupiter Orpheus in the Underworld, Paisiello’s The Barber of Seville (Buxton Festival), Rambaldo La Rondine (British Youth Opera), The Fairy Queen (Aix-en-Provence), Huascar Les Indes Galantes, Slook La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Prime Minister The King Goes Forth to France, Laroche Capriccio, Trulove, and Zaretsky (BYO), and Daland. Jonathan is a Britten-Pears Young Artist, was invited to Wigmore Hall in 2007 to take part in the International Song Competition and was selected for the Académie Européene de la Musique 2008 (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence). He is a regular recitalist, recently performing Winterreise in the Chelsea Schubert Festival and Strauss in the Barbican Hall. Future plans include Schubert in Julius Drake’s Leeds Lieder+ Festival. Piano - Tomasz Lis: Show Biog | Hide Biog One of the most exciting and talented collaborative pianists of the young generation, Tomasz Lis is very much in demand as an accompanist, soloist and chamber musician. Brought up in Poland and educated in the UK, he studied with Martin Roscoe at the Royal Academy of Music, London and Ronan O’Hora and Graham Johnson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he received his Master of Arts degree. He undertook master classes with numerous distinguished musicians, including Martin Katz, Rudolf Jansen, Malcolm Martineau, Ian Burnside and Stephen Hough. He travelled to Sion and Salzburg to study with Alexei Lubimov and took lessons with Robert Levin in Leipzig. Mr. Lis has performed in some major concert halls in the UK, including the Wigmore Hall (part of the festival celebrating the music of Karol Szymanowski, 2006); Barbican Hall (Mostly Mozart Festival, 2006); St. Luke’s, Church; St. John’s, Smith Square; London Chopin’s Society; and at the Cheltenham Music Festival (with Martyn Brabbins; as a member of the Festival Academy – a group of the best young instrumentalists from all over the UK assembled to perform regularly the works of contemporary composers at the summer festival). In 2006 Mr. Lis has devised a recital series for St. Giles’ Cripplegate Church (Cripplegate Song Festival 2006) situated at the heart of the City of London to showcase the most talented and promising young artists from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has also performed in Poland, most notably with the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra Amadeus conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal as well as the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra with Grzegorz Nowak (the former artistic director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra). Two year ago Tomasz Lis took part in the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh. He is also the first pianist to be associated with the launch of the Felicja Blumental Artist Legacy, established to promote pianists whose dedication to the art of piano is reminiscent of the style and achievements of the pianist Felicja Blumental. Since 1998 Mr. Lis has written for the major Polish music magazine “Ruch Muzyczny”. Following an invitation from Martin Katz, he has participated in the Songfest Festival in Malibu, California, where this year he has performed the West Coast premiere of the “Book of Uncommon Prayer” – a song cycle by John Musto. He also played a recital to inaugurate the Stotsenberg Recital Series in Malibu with a raising star soprano Katie Van Kooten. Mr. Lis will play there again in January 2009 with an American soprano Emily Albrink (currently at the Washington Opera Studio with Placido Domingo). In January 2008 he attended his first winter residency at the Banff Centre for Arts which proved to be very successful and resulted in an invitation to the summer session. Mr. Lis had the pleasure to perform at the 75th Anniversary Gala with a clarinettist Chen Halevi and a soprano Ms. Tracy Dahl, which was subsequently broadcasted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has also performed with Barry Schiffman and worked as a collaborative pianist at the chamber music session. Mr Lis has recently become very interested in championing contemporary music. During this year Second London Festival of American Music dedicated to the work of John Harbison he has performed the European premiere of the Milosz Songs (originally written for Dawn Upshaw and the New York Philharmonic). He has also performed the music of Peter Lieberson, Sven Ingo Koch, Maciej Zielinski and John Musto among others. Wolf - Italienisches Liederbuch

Sunday 13th September

11:00: Festival Mass Haydn Missa Brevis in F

15.30: Concordia Foundation Concert: The Still Voice Speaks Within

Gillian Humphreys Presents: Violin - Satoko Fukuda, Piano - Dario Martin, Classical Accordion - Phuong Nguyen, Piano - Miho Sanou, Baritone - Alexander Baker, Scenic Artist - Rosie Mayhew. Click here to download the flyer Argentinan Tango, English and American Songs, piano and violin music along with Schubert songs.

19.00: Evening Concert

Pegasus Choir: Show Biog | Hide Biog Pegasus is one of London's leading chamber choirs, directed by Matthew Altham, which devotes its time to presenting concerts for music societies and charities. The choir were semi-finalists in BBC Choir of the Year in 2005, in 2007 won bronze in the vocal groups category at the Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain, and in 2008 reached the televised heats of BBC 1’s ‘Last Choir Standing’. Other television and radio work includes Radio 3, Radio 4, Classic FM, and the Channel 4 premiere of Jonathan Dove's opera “When She Died” - about Princess Diana. Last Christmas, the choir was proud to launch its first CD – “Twelve Days – A Celebration of Christmas” in partnership with Princess Alice Hospice. Earlier this year the group made its debut at The Place, the UK’s leading venue for contemporary dance, in a unique collaboration with the Combination Dance Company. The group rehearses at the Hawksmoor church of St.Mary, Woolnoth in the City, and has sung in many prestigious venues in the capital, including the Almeida Theatre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Lambeth Palace, with a variety of celebrities ranging from Prunella Scales and Sebastian Coe to Michael Ball and the Duchess of Gloucester. Major sacred works the choir has sung include the Monteverdi and Rachmaninov Vespers, Bach’s B Minor Mass, St.John and St.Matthew Passions, Vivaldi’s Gloria, settings of the Requiem mass by Mozart, Brahms, Fauré and Duruflé, Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Utrecht Te Deum, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Roxanna Panufnik’s Westminster Mass, and mass settings by Palestrina, Berkeley, Kodaly, Stravinsky, Poulenc, Rheinberger, Rubbra and Ramirez. Pegasus is also committed to exploring contemporary music, and has premiered works by leading British composers, including John Tavener and Thomas Adès. Pegasus has worked with a number of professional orchestras and conductors, including the Southbank Sinfonia, under the direction of John Rutter, and the London Handel Players, under the direction of Laurence Cummings, and has been invited to take part in various prestigious music-festivals, including the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, the Tilford Bach Festival and the Proms at St.Jude’s. "The excellent Pegasus choir" John Allinson, The Times "Richness, warmth and precision" David Sonin, Hampstead and Highgate Gazette “Excellent, strong voices, all with very good sense of musical pitch, but which also blend perfectly” Ian Sargent, Tilford Bach Festival Schubert & Mendelssohn “To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn, Pegasus presents a varied programme of his sacred works, to include ‘Ave Maria’ (op. 23, no.2), ‘Three Psalms’ (op.78), ‘Sechs Sprüche’ (op.79) and perennial favourite ‘Hear My Prayer’. The concert will also include Schubert’s setting of Psalm 23 and the popular anthem ‘Lord let me know mine end’ by Hubert Parry.”

Monday 14th September

19:30: Evening Concert

Barbirolli Quartet: Show Biog | Hide Biog The Barbirolli Quartet is known for its diverse, prolific repertoire and dynamic approach to performance, with The Times describing them as “forthright, full-blooded musicians, afraid of nothing” and The Strad commenting on their “superbly realised performance” with “precision of ensemble at formidable rates of energy”. In 2008, The Barbirolli Quartet’s achievements included winning a Tunnell Trust Award, being chosen for the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme and, most prestigiously, their selection by the European Concert Halls Organisation (ECHO) for inclusion in the 'Rising Stars' series. Following their nomination by the UK members of ECHO, this tour of Europe’s leading concert halls in 2009-2010 will take them to cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Barcelona, Athens, Stockholm and Salzburg and will also include a recital at Birmingham Town Hall in the UK. Engagements in 08/09 include Wigmore Hall, Cheltenham Music Festival, St David's Hall Cardiff, Harrogate International Festival, Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, Manchester Mid-Day in Bridgewater Hall, St James's Piccadilly and St John’s, Smith Square. Over the summer of 09 The Barbirolli Quartet return to Cheltenham, this time collaborating with the Australian String Quartet, and give a series of recitals at Lichfield, Buxton and Ryedale festivals. They also teach and perform at the Dartington International Summer School and appear in the ROSL Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In November 2009, the quartet travel to New Zealand where they join the panel of adjudicators for the Pettman/ROSL Arts International Scholarship, followed by a recital tour of the region. In 2010 they make a further return to the Wigmore Hall, following their recent selection by the Kirckman Concert Society. The Barbirolli Quartet collaborate with eminent pianists in an ongoing cycle of Piano Quintets, covering the major works of Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann and Elgar and they have also been joined by David Campbell and Timothy Orpen for performances of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet. The quartet has a keen interest in performing new music and in January 2008 made their Purcell Room debut as Park Lane Group Artists to critical acclaim. They regularly work in conjunction with new composers and recent premieres include 'Folk Music' by Joe Cutler and ‘From listening to trees’ by Emily Hall. Formed in 2003 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the Barbirolli Quartet brings together a wealth of experience, its founding members each having performed widely in their native countries of Canada, Wales and Australia before coming to England to continue their studies. They are now based in London. The quartet has worked with Walter Levin and Louis Fima as part of the ProQuartet-CEMC professional training program and in 2008 was awarded Artists Fellowships at London’s Guildhall School of Music, studying primarily with The Belcea Quartet. The Barbirolli Quartet are very grateful to the Philip Carne Trust for their generous support and also to the University of Salford, where they give regular performances in the Tuesday Midday Recitals at Peel Hall as the university's 'Quartet in Residence'. Quotes: “a real powerhouse of passion. This was superb stuff" Bob Briggs – Seen and Heard - Music Web International, 19/5/09 “these former students of the Royal Northern College of Music certainly seem Rising Stars to me” “The Barbirollis should be watched closely" Geoff Brown - The Times 14/7/08 “a well-crafted, emotionally mature performance.” Anna Pickard - The Independent 13/1/08 “However crowded the field, there's always a place for classical musicians so tonally robust and rhythmically precise.” “I'd rush to hear this superb quartet again, even if they were called the Cat's Pyjamas.” Geoff Brown - The Times 14/1/08 “Their crowning achievement was a truly great performance of Jánaček’s 1st Quartet” “The Barbirolli Quartet is a magnificent ensemble” Bob Briggs – Seen and Heard - Music Web International April 08 “..the Barbirolli Quartet’s precision of ensemble at formidable rates of energy” “..a superbly realised performance of Berio’s swansong to the quartet genre, Notturno.” Peter Quantrill - The Strad April issue 2008 Piano - Marc Verter: Show Biog | Hide Biog Marc holds an M.Mus degree from Indiana University School of Music and an M.Mus Degree in accompaniment from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied with Graham Johnson. He is currently studying towards his doctorate and working as a coach at the Guildhall School. Marc is the joint artistic director of the Chelsea Schubert Festival. He received awards from The Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust Award for 2004 and the Accompanist prize at the 2004 Patricia Routledge English Song Competition. In May 2006 he won the Titanic award for accompanists at the English Song Competition at the Guildhall School, the accompanist’s prize from the Kathleen Ferrier society bursaries 2007 and recently the accompanist prize at the Great Elm competition 2008 which took place at the Wigmore Hall. He has participated in festivals in Israel, Belgium, Spain, Holland, France, USA, Canada and the UK including the Britten-Pears School, Ravinia Festival in Chicago (Steans Institute); he was an official accompanist at the Queen Elisabeth competition for singers in Brussels 2004 and was a repetiteur at the Aix en Provence Festival 2007. Marc performs regularly in the UK and abroad, including concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, St. John's Smith Square, Sheffield University, Canterbury Festival, Aldeburgh, Birmingham University, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Chelsea Schubert festival and St Martin in the Fields. He has performed song recitals which were broadcast live on the radio in Jerusalem, Brussels and in Amsterdam and he works with up and coming young singers such as Kate Royal, Claire Booth, Benedict Nelson, David Stout, Katherine Broderick, Elena Xanthoudakis and with internationally renowned soprano Nelly Miricioiu. Haydn Op 20 no.4 Beethoven OP. 95 Schumann – piano quintet op.44

Tuesday 15th September

19:30: Mendelssohn Songs Introduced by Richard Stokes and Students of The Royal Academy of Music

Mendelssohn songs

Wednesday 16th September

13:10: Lunchtime Piano Recital Piano - Meng Yang: Show Biog | Hide Biog Born in China, Meng Yang started to play the piano at the age of three. Making remarkable progresses very early on, she was accepted by the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 1996. In 1998 she won the 1st prize in the ‘MIDO’ piano competition in China followed by 2nd Prize in the ‘Ettlingen’ International Piano Competition for Young people in Germany 1999. In the same year, Meng Yang was awarded a full scholarship by the Wall Trust to study at the Purcell School, where she worked with Professor Tessa Nicholson. During her three years at the Purcell School, she appeared both as a soloist and chamber musician at the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, Purcell Room and UNESCO in Paris. In 2003, Meng Yang was awarded a full scholarship by the Evelyn Tarrant Award, Elsa and Leonard Cross Scholarship and Hilda Anderson Deane Prize to study at the Royal College of Music under Professor Gordon Fergus-Thompson. She participated in Master Classes with John Lill, Barry Douglas, Dmitri Alexeev and Ferenc Rados, Ronan O'Hora and Jonathan Plowright. In 2006, she won the first prize in The Robert William and Florence Amy Brant International Pianoforte Competition followed by winning the Hopkins Gold Medal and the Esther Fisher Prize for Best Undergraduate in the Chappell Piano Competition at the college. She was also the winner of the Sarah Mundlak memorial Prize for Piano in July 2007 at the RCM together with one of college's most prestigious prizes, the Tagore Gold Medal for making an outstanding contribution to College life. In October 2007, Meng Yang performed the John Ireland Piano Concerto with conductor John Wilson in the 125th Anniversary Concert in college and soon after, she played for Prince Edward at the Duke of Edinburgh Award concert. In December 2007, Meng Yang performed in one of the most prestigious events at the RCM, the Soirée d’Or where she raised £4,900 for the RCM Scholarship Fund. In April 2008, she performed in the presence of HRH Prince Charles in the award ceremony where she received her Tagore Gold Medal followed by performing with International concert pianist and conductor, Vladmir Ashkenazy at the RCM 125th Birthday in May. In 2009, Meng Yang performed at the UK-EU Society's New Year's Concert, which was followed by a recital at the Music Room for David Bowerman. In February, Meng Yang won second prize in the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition. She was also a finalist in the Vibrarte International Music Competition in Paris. Most recently, Meng Yang was awarded the MBF Educational Award and she also performed in a Master Class with Maestro Murray Perahia. In August 2009 Meng Yang will be participating in the Leeds International Piano Competition. Meng Yang is currently studying with the RCM’s Head of Keyboard Vanessa Latarche and as a Clore Scholar she is supported by The Clore Foudation. Meng Yang would also like to thank Stephanie and Roger Carr for their generous support. Schubert/Lizst Transcriptions Mussorgsky

15:00 - 18:00: Song Competition Semi Finals - St Saviour's Church, adjudication - Simon Lepper, Tim Brown.

19:30 Evening Concert Players from the London Contemporary Orchestra Conductor - Hugh Brunt: Show Biog | Hide Biog Hugh Brunt graduated from New College, Oxford in 2007. Shortly after, he worked as Assistant Conductor on Thomas Adès's opera Powder Her Face at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg (Valery Gergiev’s New Horizons festival). Hugh is currently Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the London Contemporary Orchestra. Appointed conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia in 2006, he became one of the youngest conductors to perform at the Großer Musikvereinsaal, Vienna. Recent highlights include the Adès Violin Concerto with Thomas Gould, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Scorched at LSO St Luke’s, and assisting on a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. In 2009 Hugh was Associate Conductor on Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre (Southbank Sinfonia). Future engagements include a second season with the London Contemporary Orchestra collaborating alongside Matmos, Brothers Quay, and featuring music from Adès, Schnittke, Vivier, Cage and Biosphere (aka Geir Jenssen). Tenor - Andrew Obrien: Show Biog | Hide Biog Andrew O'Brien was born in South Wales. He has just completed Guildhall’s MMP Young Artists Programme graduating with first class honours. He is the Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square and is also the founding Artistic Director of the Chelsea Schubert Festival. He studied music at Kings College, London and the University of East Anglia where he held major scholarships for piano, organ and singing. He was also the holder of two national choral conducting scholarships and studied with Sharon Choa while at UEA and subsequently with Gregory Rose and Ordaline de Martinez. A late starter to singing Andrew began his studies with Gareth Williams and subsequently with Stuart Burrows before moving to London and continuing his studies with Anthony Rolfe-Johnson and Ian Partridge. He was a principal in the Welsh National Youth Opera and the New Opera performing lead roles in Weber's Der Freischutz and Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie. He has also attended a large variety of music courses, some of which include Ardingly Summer School, Stuttgart Bach Akademie, and four courses in 2005 at the Britten/Pears School where he studied and performed in master-classes with Yvonne Kenny, Andreas Scholl and Philip Langridge. Now aged 27, Andrew already pursues an active career in singing. Recent engagements have included Britten’s Winter Words at the Wigmore Hall, a Mozart day at the Purcell Rooms, a European tour of Rossini’s Tancredi with Rene Jacobs, the premiere of Rick Peats I’m the king of the Castle, Britten’s Curlew River, Bach’s St.Matthew Passion as both evangelist and tenor soloist in London, Scotland and Stuttgart (with the Bach Akademie and Helmut Rilling), Stravinsky's Les Noces and Part's St.John's Passion with the BSO Contemporary Music Group, Handel's Messiah in London, Sienna, Wales, Cambridge, Yorkshire, Handel’s Israel in Egypt in the Vitterbo Baroque Festival with Canticum, Rachmaninov’s Vespers in Orvieto Cathedral, Toulouse and a UK tour of The Magic Flute with Surrey Opera. Future engagements include performances of Britten's The Turn of the Screw, St.Nicholas, Canticles, Serenade for tenor, tenor horn and strings, The Holy Sonnets of John Donne and Quatre Chansons, Vaughan-Williams’ On Wenlock Edge, Monteverdi’s Vespers, the Evangelist in Bach's St.Matthew Passion, Mendelssohn's Elijah, as well as performances in the USA, Germany, France and Austria. Viola - Robert Ames: Show Biog | Hide Biog Robert Ames is currently a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music where he studies viola with Martin Outram. An advocate of new music, Robert has worked closely with many of today’s finest composers, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, George Benjamin, Simon Bainbridge, Jonathan Cole, Rolf Wallin and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Robert has performed in numerous BBC broadcasts, and played under some of the world’s leading conductors, including Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Pierre-André Valade and Sir Roger Norrington. Performances with the Manson Ensemble, London Sinfonietta and London Symphony Orchestra include concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival, the Southbank Centre’s Luigi Nono: Fragments of Venice festival under Diego Masson, Messiaen From the Canyons to the Stars festival, and in Grisey’s Les Espaces Acoustiques conducted by George Benjamin. Future engagements include a performance of Morton Feldman’s The Viola In My Life at LSO St Luke’s, and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Eulogy. John Woolrich - Ulysses Awakes Mendelssohn - Octet Op. 20 Finzi - Dies Natalis Op. 8

Thursday 17th September

13.10: White Knight Celebrating 120 years to the Birth of the celebrated Russian poet Ahkmatova. A new commissioned Song Cycle by Benjamin Ellin (semi staged performance, director - Keith Cheetham) and Rachmaninoff songs. Soprano - Ilona Domnich: Show Biog | Hide Biog Featured in Opera Now magazine’s pick of ‘the most promising new talent’ of the 2007 season, Ilona was born in St Petersburg and raised in Israel. Supported by major scholarships Ilona studied at the St Petersburg School of Music, Jerusalem Academy of Music, and with Vera Rosza at the Royal College of Music, supported by the prestigious Wingate scholarship. Ilonas’ Opera credits include Zerlina, Don Giovanni with English Touring Opera, spring 2008, Laura Romeo and Juliet by Benda, Buxton Festival, La Voix Humaine, Poulenc for Hampstead & Highgate Festival, Tatiana Eugene Onegin at the Richmond theatre, Columbina The Jewel Box by Mozart in St.John Smith Square, Pamina Die Zauberflöte with English Touring Opera, Blondchen Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Dartington Summer Music, several roles for Bampton Classical Opera and Gasparina La Canterina By Haydn for New Chamber Opera (British Embassy, Paris). As a recitalist Ilona appeared at St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James Piccadilly, St. George’s Hanover Square, Lauderdale House and American Cathedral in Paris. Ilona studied with late Enid Hartle and now with Joan Rodgers. In Oratorio her repertoire includes Mozart Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn Elijah; Mahler Symphony No 2, Schostakovich 14th Symphony. Recent and future engagements include ‘Brief encounter with Rachmaninoff’ for The London Song Festival in St George’s Hanover Square, Verdi’s Requiem with Tiffin’s boys’ choir, Master-class with Montserrat Caballe in Zaragosa, Beethoven 9th with UEA Symphony Orchestra and Choir, R.Strauss, Brentano songs with Symphony orchestra and Tatiana, Evgene Onegin for Iford Arts Festival. Piano - Marc Verter: Show Biog | Hide Biog Marc holds an M.Mus degree from Indiana University School of Music and an M.Mus Degree in accompaniment from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied with Graham Johnson. He is currently studying towards his doctorate and working as a coach at the Guildhall School. Marc is the joint artistic director of the Chelsea Schubert Festival. He received awards from The Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust Award for 2004 and the Accompanist prize at the 2004 Patricia Routledge English Song Competition. In May 2006 he won the Titanic award for accompanists at the English Song Competition at the Guildhall School, the accompanist’s prize from the Kathleen Ferrier society bursaries 2007 and recently the accompanist prize at the Great Elm competition 2008 which took place at the Wigmore Hall. He has participated in festivals in Israel, Belgium, Spain, Holland, France, USA, Canada and the UK including the Britten-Pears School, Ravinia Festival in Chicago (Steans Institute); he was an official accompanist at the Queen Elisabeth competition for singers in Brussels 2004 and was a repetiteur at the Aix en Provence Festival 2007. Marc performs regularly in the UK and abroad, including concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, St. John's Smith Square, Sheffield University, Canterbury Festival, Aldeburgh, Birmingham University, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Chelsea Schubert festival and St Martin in the Fields. He has performed song recitals which were broadcast live on the radio in Jerusalem, Brussels and in Amsterdam and he works with up and coming young singers such as Kate Royal, Claire Booth, Benedict Nelson, David Stout, Katherine Broderick, Elena Xanthoudakis and with internationally renowned soprano Nelly Miricioiu. Speaker - Benjamin Ellin: Show Biog | Hide Biog British Conductor and Composer Benjamin Ellin is currently Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of EMFEB (Every Music For EveryBody), Musical Director at Thursford, Principal Conductor of the Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra and Director of Music at the Pembroke Academy of Music, London. In 2007 he was awarded the Public Prize and the First Prize from the inaugural Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition in Luxembourg and subsequently made his debut with the Luxembourg Philharmonic. In 2007 Benjamin became the first classical composer to sign a deal with the Prince’s Trust Music Publishing whilst also featuring in BBC Music Magazine in their Rising Stars feature. In recent seasons Benjamin has worked with the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, New Russian Symphony Orchestra, Teatro Regio Turino, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Philharmonic and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. He has accompanied, amongst others, Pianists Ingrid Filter and Anzhelika Fuks, Soprano Elizabeth Watts and Ilona Domnich, Cellists Alexander Bouzlov, Alexander Baillie and Robert Cohen and Violists Rivka Golani and Maxim Rysanov. Benjamin has conducted in the Czech Republic, Germany, America, Holland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, France and Russia and at venues including the Philharmonie (Luxembourg), Konzerthaus (Berlin), the Hermitage Theatre and Grand Hall (St Petersburg), the Moscow International Performing Arts Centre (Moscow), Barbican Hall (London) as well as throughout the United Kingdom. Forthcoming events include concert and opera performances in Montpellier, Lyon, Moscow, St Petersburg, Canada, the Urals and across the United Kingdom. Immediate composition projects include the recording and touring of his Concerto for Ney and Orchestra Tafahum (2009), a new commission for Violist Rivka Golani (2010), a song cycle of poems by Anna Akhmatova for soprano Ilona Domnich, the world premiere of his Harp Concerto and continued work on his first opera, Welcome To Deen. Benjamin Ellin has a broad and diverse repertoire and he regularly draws on composers to produce works for his concerts. He is also passionate about collaborating with music and musicians from other cultures. Most recently Benjamin collaborated with Syrian musician Louai Alhenawi on a project aimed at combining the musical traditions from the Middle East and Western Musical Traditions using the EMFEB Symphony Orchestra, Syrian Folk Ensemble Al-Farabi and the Pembroke Academy of Music. Benjamin is a highly respected and innovative educator, animateur and figurehead through his sincere belief in music and music making for all. Since January 2006 he has been Director of Music at Pembroke Academy of Music, (Walworth) London, a youth music project based in one of the poorest wards of the UK. The Academy boasts a student capacity of sixty-five non fee paying students who also benefit from in-house Professional Concerts at the recently redeveloped Pembroke House venue. Born in Bolton (1980), Benjamin studied at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, where he graduated in 2002 after studying composition with John Woolrich. Benjamin has been awarded the Neil Vint bursary from Chetham’s School of Music (2002), Leslie Chester Prize For Outstanding Commitment from Chetham’s School of Music (1998) and the John Fletcher Award from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (1998). Benjamin has taken part in conducting master classes with Gianandrea Noseda in Stresa, Italy (2006), and with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra (2005). He has studied privately with Sir Colin Davis since 2002 and in 2003 received tuition from Bernard Haitink KBE. In 2001 Benjamin participated in the International Workshop for Conductors in St. Petersburg, Russia, studying with Alexandre Polistchuk and Michail Kukuchkin with support from HRH The Prince of Wales. Director - Keith Cheetham: Show Biog | Hide Biog British Conductor and Composer Benjamin Ellin is currently Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of EMFEB (Every Music For EveryBody), Musical Director at Thursford, Principal Conductor of the Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra and Director of Music at the Pembroke Academy of Music, London. In 2007 he was awarded the Public Prize and the First Prize from the inaugural Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition in Luxembourg and subsequently made his debut with the Luxembourg Philharmonic. In 2007 Benjamin became the first classical composer to sign a deal with the Prince’s Trust Music Publishing whilst also featuring in BBC Music Magazine in their Rising Stars feature. Award winning Producer and Director in film and television. He began his career in television as a production designer for BBC Television, designing major drama and arts series including Dr Who, Omnibus and Arena. He designed the very first colour production of “Ahmal and the Night Visitors”, recorded in the presence of the composer, Gian Carlo Menotti. For television he has worked with and directed a number of foreign theatre companies including the Moscow Arts Theatre, and the Comedie- Francaise, working on Moliere, Racine, Chekhov, Synge and Plautus. On documentaries he has collaborated with international artists including Sir Michael Tippett, Sir Colin Davies, Jacqueline du Pre, Menotti, Dame Alicia Markova, and Stephen Sondheim. Music productions include Opera workshops; a tv production of 'The Little Sweep'(Britten); a video version of Walton's 'Facade'; Voice of the City - A Musical Biography of Irving Berlin and 'Blues in the Night, adapted from the Broadway Stage for television. He has designed and directed many Multi Media events in America, Hong Kong and Europe. For the past year he has collaborated with the celebrated Welsh soprano Patricia O'Neill on 'Can You Sing', a competition to find talented young singers. Keith has been the Chairman of the Adjudicators and directed the final at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Currently he is developing a new opera with the composer Ben Ellin to be premiered in 2010, preparing for a new series of ‘Can You Sing’, adapting ‘Last Encore’ a musical play for video and directing a new video production of Menotti’s ‘The Telephone’. Nominations include: International Emmy, Best Production/Best Director- Monitor awards, Golden Rose of Montreux. Awards: Banff T.V Festival, Ace Award, Houston Arts Festival, Golden Antenna, and New York Film Festival.

18:45: Song Competition Final - Holy Trinity, adjudication - Sarah Walker CBE, Mark Wildman, Philip Carne, Tim Brown.

Friday 18th September

19.30: Gala Concert Soprano - Joan Rodgers CBE: Show Biog | Hide Biog Internationally renowned, Joan Rodgers is equally established in opera, concert, and as a recitalist. After graduating from the University of Liverpool with an Honours degree in Russian she entered the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and in 1981 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship. Joan Rodgers made her professional debut in 1982 as Pamina in a new production of Die Zauberflöte at the Festival of Aix en Provence, following which she rapidly established herself throughout Europe. International operatic engagements have included Paris (Pamina and Zerlina with Barenboim and Ponnelle, Mélisande, Susanna, and Donna Elvira with Solti); Munich (Ginevra in Ariodante) and also on tour to Japan in 2005; Florence (Susanna with Mehta); Vienna (Mitridate with Harnoncourt), Zurich, Lyon, Turin, Brussels (Fiordiligi, and Hero in Beatrice et Benedict), Amsterdam (Countess in Figaro), Vancouver, The Metropolitan Opera New York, where she made her debut as Pamina, and Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélities) for Netherlands Opera. In the UK Joan Rodgers sings regularly for all the principal opera companies, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, highly acclaimed performances of the Governess (The Turn of the Screw); English National Opera, Countess in Graham Vick's Figaro's Wedding, Ginevra (Ariodante), Blanche (The Dialogue of the Carmelites), Mélisande, Alcina and Titania (The Fairy Queen) – Titania also in Barcelona with ENO; Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Susanna with Sir Simon Rattle and the title role in Theodora); Opera North (operas including Poulenc La voix humaine directed by Deborah Warner, the title role in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, repeated in the 1992 Edinburgh Festival and Mélisande in a new production by Richard Jones conducted by Paul Daniel); Welsh National Opera, (Sandrina in La Finta Giardiniera); and Scottish Opera (Cleopatra in Handel's Julius Caesar, Donna Elvira and, in 1999, to great critical acclaim, her first Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) returning there in this role in 2002 to even greater critical acclaim). Joan Rodgers enjoys an equally successful career as a concert and recital singer and engagements have included regular appearances with such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Bruggen, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Charles Mackerras, Mark Elder, Sir Andrew Davis and Sir Simon Rattle. She appears regularly in London with all the leading orchestras and has been a frequent guest at the BBC Proms, including the internationally televised Last Night in 1988. She returned to the Proms in 2001 for Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Overseas engagements have included tours of the USA and Spain with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen and a nationwide tour of Australia. Her London recitals have attracted the highest critical acclaim and other recent recital engagements have included the Musikverein in Vienna, Paris, Moscow, Budapest and New York. Recent engagements include a new production of Thomas Adès’ Powder her Face, Ginevra (Ariodante) in Munich, Pélleas et Mélisande for Opéra National de Paris and in Munich, Alcina at the Montreux Festival, Countess (Figaro) for La Monnaie in Brussels and Les Illuminations with the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall, Delius’ A Village Romeo and Juliet in concert for the Bavarian Radio, and a repeat of her award-winning performances of Governess (Turn of the Screw) at Covent Garden, in a new production in Geneva, in Frankfurt and Oviedo; and the world première of Xavier Dayer’s Mémoires d'une jeune fille triste in Geneva and Gianni Schicchi for Covent Garden with Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano. Future engagements include Saariaho L’amour de loin for English National Opera, a return to ROH for Powder her face, and concerts throughout Europe. Recordings include the roles of Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Despina (Così fan tutte) with Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for Erato, the Governess (The Turn of the Screw) with Daniel Harding for Virgin, Beethoven Symphony No.9 with Mackerras for EMI, Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, also for EMI, and Mahler's Das Klagende Lied for Chandos Records, solo discs of Tchaikovsky and Mozart songs and Wolf’s Mörike Lieder on the Hyperion label, Haydn's Creation for Philips with Bruggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 14 for BIS, Rachmaninov Songs with Howard Shelley for Chandos and Shostakovich 7 Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok with the Beaux Arts Trio for Warner Classics. In June 2006 she recorded Shostakovich Symphony No 14 with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo with Vladimir Ashkenazy. Joan Rodgers received the Royal Philharmonic Society award as Singer of the Year for 1997, the 1997 Evening Standard Award for outstanding performance in opera for her performance as The Governess in the Royal Opera's production of The Turn of the Screw, and an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Liverpool University in July 2005. Joan Rodgers was awarded the CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List. Piano - Simon Lepper: Show Biog | Hide Biog Simon Lepper has established himself as one of the UK’s leading piano accompanists performing at venues and festivals including the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Mozarteum, Verbier Festival and BBC Proms. Simon has given recitals with many of Britain’s leading singers including Karen Cargill, Allan Clayton, Ronan Collett, Lucy Crowe, Andrew Kennedy, Sally Matthews, Mark Padmore, Felicity Palmer, Joan Rodgers, Kate Royal, Bryn Terfel, Elizabeth Watts and Roderick Williams. He has also performed with Cora Burggraaf, Nicole Cabell, Gillian Keith, Angelika Kirchschlager, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephan Loges and Ailish Tynan. His keen interest in chamber music has led to performances with clarinettists Julian Bliss and Jorg Widmann, violinists Renaud Capuçon, Chlöe Hanslip, Jack Liebeck, Alexander Sitkovetsky and Carolin Widmann and cellists Thomas Carroll, Daniel Müller-Schott and Gemma Rosefield. Recordings include Debussy songs with Gillian Keith (Deux-Elles), Warlock songs with Andrew Kennedy (Landor Records), Feldman, Zimmerman, Xenakis and Schoenberg with violinist Carolin Widmann (ECM) and the cello, flute and voice syllabus for the Associated Board. Simon is an official accompanist for the BBC Singer of the World Rosenblatt Song Prize and Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition as well as regularly playing for the Thomas Quasthoff’s masterclasses at the Verbier Festival, Switzerland. Highlights of last season included performances of the Schubert song cycles with Mark Padmore; a recital with Angelika Kirchschlager at the Verbier Festival; recitals with Felicity Palmer; a performance of “Harawi” with Gweneth-Ann Jeffers as part of the South Bank Messiaen Festival and at the BBC Proms; recitals with Sally Matthews at the Concertgebouw and Jonathan Lemalu and Allan Clayton at the City of London Festival and his North American debut with Cora Burggraaf. He was born in Kent, read music at King’s College Cambridge and studied piano accompaniment with Michael Dussek at the Royal Academy of Music. Whilst a student he won every major award for piano accompaniment including the Gerald Moore Award and the accompanist prizes in the Kathleen Ferrier and Royal Overseas League competitions. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy and was recently appointed professor of piano accompaniment at the Royal College of Music, London. Future plans include a theatre project on the madness of “Ophelia” with Cora Burggraaf in Rotterdam; a recording of Strauss Songs with Gillian Keith; his own series “Spring Voices” at the National Portrait Gallery and recitals with singers including Patricia Bardon, Malin Christensson, Angelika Kirchschlager, Mark Padmore and Felcity Palmer. Programme consists of songs by Schubert, Poulenc, Wolf, Gounod, Fauré and Rosenthal