Tag: National Centre for Early Music

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The Lyons Mouth win main prize at York International Young Artists Competition 2026. Who were the other award winners?

The Lyons Mouth

THE Lyons Mouth scooped two prizes in a home victory at the York International Young Artists Competition 2026 at the National Centre for Early Music on July 11.

The vocal ensemble of sopranos Ailsa Campbell and Elspeth Piggott, alto Ellie Stamp, tenors James Botcher and Jacob Ewens and bass Thomas Lowen, all University of York alumni, were awarded the main prize of a professional recording contract from Linn Records, a £1,000 cash prize, a future paid engagement with the York Early Music Festival and recording opportunities with BBC Radio 3.

In addition, The Lyons Mouth won the Friends of York Early Music Festival award, a cash prize of £500, while Tra Noi and Ossian’s Dream shared the cash prizes of £1,000, endowed by the EUBO Development Trust, for the Most Promising Young Artist/s specialising in the Baroque repertoire.

Lagrime won the Cambridge Music Prize, which includes a paid performance at Cambridge Early Music, and a new award, the Jury Prize, was awarded to gamba player Bianca Cucini, who performed with Tra Noi (bass viola da gamba, quinton) and I Mastricelli. (bass and  soprano viola da gamba).

The 2026 finalists were: I Mastricelli (Netherlands); Il Parrasio (Netherlands); Lagrime (Switzerland); La Mandorle (France); Nari Baroque Ensemble (Israel); Ossian’s Dream (Switzerland;) Quarterino (Switzerland); The Lyons Mouth (UK) and Tra Noi (Switzerland).

During the two days before the competition, each ensemble presented an informal recital at the NCEM, at St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, with the aim of giving the musicians the opportunity to adapt to the performance space and to familiarise with the festival audience members in advance of the final.

These groups were selected from a pool of 56 ensembles from across the world and were judged by an international jury of Paul Agnew (Les Arts Florissants); Anna Danilevskaia (Sollazzo Ensemble); Kati Debretzeni (English Baroque Soloists), Veerle Declerk (Concertgebouw, Bruges) and Philip Hobbs (Linn Records).

The 2026 competition was presented by master of ceremonies Steven Devine, harpsichordist, fortepianist, conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire and former York Early Music Festival artistic advisor.

Main prize winner The Lyons Mouth is a dynamic vocal consort founded in 2024 by singers who studied at the University of York. Inspired by their experiences performing in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, they created an ensemble devoted to vivid musical storytelling, crafting emotionally immersive performances that draw audiences into the dramatic heart of the repertoire.

In the final, the consort performed Victoria’s Secret: Claudio Monteverdi’s Svogava con le stele; Raffaella Aleotti’s Vidi speciosam; Monteverdi’s Sì, ch’io vorrei morire, Sigismondo d’India’s Dispietata pietate and Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Vadam et circuibo civitatem.

At the end of the competition, judging panel chair Philip Hobbs, from Linn Records, said: “I am always amazed and astonished at how this competition re-imagines and re-invents itself year after year, ensuring that early music has an exciting future and will continue to captivate audiences all over the world.

“Linn Records is very proud to continue this important relationship with the York Early Music Festival and I would like to congratulate the nine ensembles who took part in this fabulous day of music.”

Steven Devine said: “There were two things that, for me, really stood out about this year’s competition.  The sheer range of music was the first thing: almost 200 years of music was being performed by historically informed performers but with a sense of musicianship and virtuosity that was jaw-dropping. 

“They wore their scholarship lightly and at the service of their raw talent.  In addition, the supportive atmosphere between the groups and their enjoyment of each other’s work was wonderful to watch.  Definitely one of the highpoints of my musical experiences.”

Festival director and NCEM director Dr Delma Tomlin said: “The competition provided an amazing finale to our 50th edition, proving that early music can truly transport us Beyond Borders. The musicianship today was of the highest calibre and our nine ensembles gave us a range of exquisite music, spanning 400 years. As always, it was a pleasure to welcome the young artists to York and help them on their journeys to future success.

“I would also like to say a huge thank-you to our panel of judges for their hard work and support, to Steven Devine for his expertise and invaluable help and, of course, to our friends and supporters BBC Radio 3.”

The Lyons Mouth said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have received not one but two prizes in this year’s competition. To have done it in our home city of York makes this moment feel even more special!

“It was a real treat to meet so many fantastic musicians in the competition, and inspiring to watch them perform. We’d love to say a huge thank-you to the Friends for choosing us for their award: as an ensemble who values the audience’s experience above all, this was really meaningful for us.

“We’re excited to record with Linn Records and to return to the festival next year. This whole experience feels like an amazing next step and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.”

 The competition provided a spectacular finale to the nine-day festival, where old friends and new connected through concerts, recitals and workshops staged in historic venues around the city.

The recitals from this year’s final are available to watch on demand on the NCEM’s ncem.co.uk website and YouTube channel and edited highlights will be shared on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show on Sunday, August 30 at 5pm.

The nine ensembles taking part were:

I Mastricelli: An early music ensemble founded in 2023 at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Its name evokes the “mastricelli”, talented young musicians who assisted the great maestri of the Neapolitan conservatories. Featuring cello, viola da gamba and other bass instruments of the violin and viol families, I Mastricelli explores the expressive depth and resonance of the bass register, the foundation of Baroque sound.

Il Parrasio: The name Il Parrasio is derived from “Il Bosco Parrasio”, the hilly grove of trees overlooking the city of Rome where, every summer, the great and varied artistic minds of the Arcadian Poets met to discuss strategies for influencing all facets of Italian art culture away from the overindulgence of the high baroque and towards a return to more simple and natural styles.The ensemble focuses on the vibrant and expressive styles of the Venetian repertoire.

La Mandorle: La Mandorle (meaning almond in Italian) is a family affair, seeking to bring baroque music closer to the audience and to promote research into repertoire, with a particular taste for the French treasures of the 17th and 18th centuries. La Mandorle was awarded First Prize and Audience Prize at the International Haendel Competition in Göttingen in May 2025 and has been supported since 2024 by Sustainable-Eeemerging.

Lagrime: Led by trombonist Maximilien Brisson, Lagrime was formed after the release of the album Scorrete lagrime mie to continue to showcase the vocality of the baroque trombone. From its inclusion in church music-making circa 1500, the trombone has been associated with the voice perhaps more than any other instrument, and Lagrime explores the vocal virtuosity of the baroque trombone in intimate settings.

Nari Baroque Ensemble: Since 2019, the Nari Baroque Ensemble has specialised in performing baroque music on period instruments. Selected as Fabulous Fringe at the Utrecht Early Music Festival 2025 and winners of the main prize at the Göttingen Händel Competition 2024, each of Nari’s performances tells a story by combining original texts with excerpts from cantatas and sonatas.

Ossian’s Dream: This collective of musicians focuses on performing mainly chamber music from the 18th and 19th centuries under historically informed conditions. They are committed to rediscovering and re-enacting salon practices, understanding the salon as a place of artistic freedom, interdisciplinarity and gender issues.

Inspired by the famous painting by Dominique Ingres, the name refers to one of the most fascinating phenomena of the Romantic era, the revival of the mythical figure of Ossian.

Quarterino: These four musicians, who met through the European Union Baroque Orchestra, are preparing various projects in Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands. Each member ensemble has taken part in ensembles and festivals throughout Europe, including York, Bremen, Utrecht and Urbino. They are also principal continuo players in EUBO 2025.

The Lyons Mouth: Dynamic vocal consort of young professional singers who first met while studying at the University of York under the guidance of Robert Hollingworth, director of the vocal group I Fagiolini.

Their early experiences performing in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall inspired them to create an ensemble that would bring audiences into the dramatic and emotional heart of vocal music. Its members already sing with the BBC Singers; I Fagiolini; The Swingles; Voces8; Tenebrae; Dunedin Consort and The Norwegian Soloistchoir.

Tra Noi: Tra Noi is characterised by lively communication, both with each other and with theaudience. The ensemble was formed in 2023 and already has won the 2023 ‘Wiener Konzerthauspreis’ of the H.I.F.-Biber Competition; the 2023 Biagio Marini Competition Audience Prize; the 2024 Göttingen Handel Competition; first prize at the 2024 Concours International de musique ancienne du Val de Loire; third prize at the 2024 International Van Wassenaer Competition, as a duo formation, and first prize, audience prize and Gamba Gesellschaft Prize at the 2025  Orlando Lasso competition in Landshut, Germany.

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Contre le Temps, York Early Music Festival, National Centre for Early Music, York, July 5

Contre le Temps: NCEM Platform Artists

CONTRE le Temps’s Le Baiser de la Rose has to be one of the more unusual and immersive concerts I have ever experienced.

 The pervading atmosphere was one of intimacy – the storytelling was deeply personal. The quartet of singers wove a magical musical spell.

This was creatively varied through solo, duet, trio and quartet singing, spatial arrangement and, most significantly, the use of subtly dramatic text to bring both context and focus.

The programme is built around two of the great literary works of medieval France: Le Roman de la Rose, the allegorical love story by Guillaume de Lorris, and Le Remède de Fortune, a narrative with songs by Guillaume de Machaut.

So, rather than simply presenting a sequence of songs, Contre le Temps wove together spoken poetry and music, telling the story of the Lover, who falls in love with the Rose – a symbol representing the object of desire – and, in so doing, retells the medieval tradition of courtly love.

The Springtime prose opens with the most poetic of intentions:  “…The earth becomes so proud that she wishes to wear a new dress…”

The anonymous Venez ouïr les vrais amoureus took the form of a lively conversational invitation or welcome. It was quite delightful. This was followed by the complex monophonic song Qui n’aroit autre deport by Guillaume de Machaut, with contrasting sections reflecting the changing emotions of the text.

The drama was enhanced by the answering vocal calls, presumably an arrangement by the performers. Whatever the case, it was highly effective.

The anonymous chanson Contre le Temps, from which the ensemble takes its name, was more than simply a programme item, linking the performers’ identity with their exploration of medieval song. The singing was so seductive, so delicious.

Accompanying the section Entry into the Dream, we were treated to a trio singing with such elegance and poise in Guillaume Dufay’s Je me complains. The voices were equal, with finely judged imitative interplay, weaving a continuous musical web of sound.

Responding to the most poetic imagery in The Wonders in the Garden (“…flowers of extraordinary whiteness, yellow blossoms, and crimson ones with exquisite scents”), we were treated to a beautiful, flowing performance of Machaut’s Et pour ce engendrée s’est douce pensée. The long, aching phrases suggested a meditative, inward quality. The singing also possessed a timeless quality – I certainly could not discern a pulse.

Accompanying the text Cupid and the Rose, there was a change in style in the anonymous En remirant vos douce portraiture. Here we had an elegant four-voice ballade, with all four voices contributing to the texture. Each individual line emerged with remarkable clarity.

One of the many highlights was the anonymous Qui n’a le cuer, which followed The Pain of the Lover. The duet had a touching intimacy and lyrical grace.

The programme closed with Dufay’s Ma belle dame souveraine. Here all four singers clearly relished the richness and elegance of Dufay’s four-part texture. The closing cadence was deeply satisfying.

Contre le Temps’s Le Baiser de la Rose was a thoughtfully conceived and rewarding programme. The contrasts between solo chant and polyphony were superbly judged.

The rhythm of the medieval music was so complex that I often felt the melodies were floating freely, making the moments when the voices came together and locked into place all the more satisfying. Above all, it was the transparent purity of sound that lingered long after the final cadence.

Contre le Temps: Cécile Walch, soprano;  Karin Weston, soprano;  Amy Farnell, mezzo-soprano, and Julia Marty , mezzo-soprano.

Review by Steve Crowther

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on Imago Mundi: Tears Into Light, York Early Music Festival 2026, National Centre for Early Music, York, July 6

Sofie Vanden Eynde: Artistic direction and lute for Imago Mundi’s Tears Into Light concert at York Early Music Festival

DESCRIBED in the festival programme as “a contemporary reimagining of John Dowland’s Lachrimae”, Imago Mundi’s Tears Into Light uses Seven Tears as the point of departure for a contemporary meditation in which Renaissance song, Armenian tradition, newly composed music by Vladimir Gorlinsky and spoken reflections become successive stages of a journey from melancholy towards hope.

The spoken narrative, by Fleur Pierets, functions as a series of meditations drawn from conversations with residents of a Belgian care home and palliative day centre.

They become a sequence of poetic monologues – intimate reflections on ageing, memory, regret, companionship and death:

I walk through cities made of memories,

where echoes whisper, soft and low.

Each breath is heavy with remembering,

each step moves tides I cannot slow.

There is a sound the dark remembers

a hum that aches beneath my bones.

– The Distant Light (dark to horizon)

Although there are echoes of Sufi imagery – I walk (journey); a hum that aches beneath my bones (listening from within); memory as spiritual experience – I was more affected, however, by the personalisation of these texts: We; Eli; Carlos; Eric; Danielle; Frédéric and Rose-Marie – they are almost certainly the individuals at the care home and palliative centre.

It was obvious that these spoken texts were repeated in close imitation. This subtly reinforced the theme of echo and memory; the individual transforming into collective – repeated entries blurring the identity of the individual speaker and creating a bridge between speech and music. Canon, based on exact imitation, is one of the simplest and most recognisable musical devices that can be applied to speech.

So, rather than interrupting the music, these meditations broadened its emotional landscape, perhaps suggesting that Dowland’s melancholy remains as resonant today as four centuries ago.

Another fascinating aspect of Tears Into Light was the inclusion of the Armenian duduk. At first glance, Dowland and Armenian traditional music seemed an unlikely pairing. Yet the duduk, long associated in Armenian culture with remembrance, lamentation and funeral rites, proved a natural companion to Dowland’s world of melancholy.

Its warm, breath-infused tone carried an unmistakable sense of grief and longing, while Vardan Hovanissian’s subtle and deeply expressive playing was illuminating, revealing just how naturally the instrument could inhabit Dowland’s emotional landscape.

Although the programme credited visual artist Ria Verhaeghe as a collaborator, the performance itself was experienced principally as a dialogue between music and spoken word. I assumed the visual contribution was deliberately understated.

Rather than projected imagery unfolding alongside the performance, what seemed to be a single image remained behind the performers throughout. Maybe I simply missed it.

As far as I could tell, the Dowland pavan and songs remained recognisable and largely intact, whilst Vladimir Gorlinsky contributed new pieces, transitions and soundscapes around it, rather than rewriting the Renaissance music itself.

His music featured sustained sonorities, drones, sparse textures, slow-moving harmonic fields and, tellingly, moments where electronic sound blends almost imperceptibly with acoustic instruments.

Without his music the programme would probably have felt episodic – song, speech, song, speech. His contributions helped to make it feel like a single, continuous journey. This leads nicely to his Rumi’s meditation – Rumi being one of the most significant Sufi poets; the mystical tradition within Islam.

To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it: a gentle, reflective minimalist pattern interrupted by an anguished cry of despair before gradually finding a measure of resolution.

The performance of Sorrow was quite simply a thing of beauty. Eugénie De Mey’s singing had a gorgeous, seductive tone and was gently amplified and supported by Sofie Vanden Eynde’s subtle lute accompaniment.

Like Vardan Hovanissian, Eugénie De Mey (mezzo-soprano) and Sofie Vanden Eynde (lute) were a joy throughout. Ms De Mey’s singing was so immersed in the performance, her tone had a velvety-rich quality. She focused on intimacy and textual clarity – particularly noticeable in the lower register – which suited the reflective atmosphere of the work and allowed the spoken texts and songs to coexist naturally.

Ms Vanden Eynde’s lute playing struck me as invariably understated and yet quietly authoritative. I admired the refinement of her lute playing and beautifully shaped phrasing. She was the performance’s anchor, allowing Dowland’s music to breathe without becoming an exercise in historical reconstruction.

Finally, I was impressed by Sofie Vanden Eynde’s curatorial approach: this included imaginative programming and willingness to rethink what an early music concert can be.

Eugénie De Mey,  voice;  Vardan Hovanissian , duduk; Sofie Vanden Eynde,  artistic direction & lute; Jo Thielemans, sound engineer. Texts, Fleur Pierets; music, John Dowland & Vladimir Gorlinsky (composition & arrangements); visuals, Ria Verhaeghe.

Review by Steve Crowther

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In Focus: Prima Choral Artists, Under One Sky, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 21/6/2026, 5pm & 7.30pm

Prima Choral Artists; poster for Sunday’s concerts at the double on Father’s Day

PRODUCER and artistic director Eve Lorian leads Prima Choral Artists in a compelling journey through global vocal traditions in two concerts on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.

Under One Sky is a signature programme by this Polish-born, York-based choral director, who has consistently introduced unique concerts and explored new territory for York choirs for nearly two decades.

Eve’s latest artistic compilation is designed to celebrate the relationship between musical language, cultural identity and vocal technique, while recognising the unifying nature of the choral canon. Spanning a wide geographical and cultural spectrum, the repertoire highlights distinctive approaches to tone production, ornamentation, rhythm and ensemble cohesion.

Sunday’s programme opens with Sakura, a Japanese folk melody characterised by its pentatonic modality and lyrical phrasing. The Bulgarian works Kaval Sviri and Dilmano Dilbero exemplify the highly resonant, open-throated “white voice” technique, and this vocal aesthetic continues in Serbian folk music, where dance-derived rhythms and communal expression are central.

Folk traditions of the North Atlantic are represented through the French-Canadian J’entends le Moulin, with its rhythmic drive, alongside Wild Mountain Thyme and Gaelic Song Of The Boatman, which reflect the modal inflections of Scottish and Gaelic song traditions.

Prima Choral Artists’ founder, producer and artistic director Eve Lorian

The programme broadens even further afield through Yeish Kochavim (Hebrew), Evohé (Venezuela) and Dao Mai Fan Ye’ (Mandarin), each illustrating the interaction between text, rhythm and collective energy within their respective traditions. These works foreground the role of music in both ritual and communal celebration.

The final section centres on vocal traditions from the Torres Strait Islands and Southern Africa. Sesere Eeye reflects oral transmission practices and community-based performance, while Ngothando, Ndikhokhele Bawo and Papaoutai demonstrate the harmonies and call-and-response structures that are foundational to many African musical forms.

Eve’s diligent research has brought together this sparkling burst of music with the support of a choir who are no strangers to world music and singing in multiple languages.

“We have always been proud of our multi-cultural, international identity,” says Eve. “Music has always been a unifying force for good. These concerts, celebrating unity through diversity, represent a truth that sometimes only music can express.”

Giving a brief glimpse into the creative process behind these events, she adds: “Selecting the music takes weeks upon weeks of research and listening. I thrive on fresh choices, on presenting the unexpected – and these pieces are far from the standard choral repertoire.

Prima Choral Artists in concert under Eve Lorian’s direction

“But the title came so naturally: Under One Sky says everything that we mean to convey in these two performances!”

International connections for Eve and Prima Choral Artists are not merely constrained to concert programming. For more than a decade, Eve has led the way in introducing outstanding overseas opportunities for York choirs.

This commitment continues this summer with a concert tour to Prague from July 8 to 13 to take part in the International Choir and Orchestra Festival (Prague Festival 2026, July 9 to 13).

On September 6, Eve will welcome the Norwegian choir Fanakoret, from Bergen, for a Friendship performance with Prima Choral Artists at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, at 5pm.

“Before these opportunities comes the unmissable chance to join Prima on Father’s Day on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music with the two time slots designed to complement everyone’s plans and make for a truly special weekend celebration,” she says.

Tickets are available from www.primachoral.com; with limited seating available, booking is recommended.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from The York Press

Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt in Oh Zeus! on Le Navet Bete’s fifth visit to York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Senior

A MYTHOLOGICAL farce and Lenny Henry at large, a snappy crocodile and a Man-Wulf, a spelling bee musical and a mirrored installation keep Charles Hutchinson’s arty eye on the ball and off the football.

Greek comedy of the week: Le Navet Bete in Oh Zeus!, York Theatre Royal, today, 2pm and 7.30pm

EXETER’S chaotic comedy specialists, Le Navet Bete, conduct a riotous ride through Ancient Greece, the Underworld and back in Oh Zeus! Written by director John Nicholson and company founders Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman, this mythological farce finds the stability of Olympus being threatened by the marriage of Zeus’s daughter, Hebe, to a mere mortal, whereupon the King of the Gods hatches a plan to derail the wedding.

Expect physical comedy, outrageous jokes and fast-paced pandemonium as Dunn, Bunt and Freeman play 40 characters between them. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Beverley Knight: Born to perform at York Barbican. Picture: Lewis Shaw

Recommended but sold out: Beverley Knight, Born To Perform, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

QUEEN of British soul Beverley Knight shares stories from her life on stage, as well as performing her biggest hits, musical theatre favourites and cherished songs that have inspired her on her 20-date UK tour.

“Born To Perform is me taking you on a journey through my life on both music and theatre stages, using my memories and of course my songs. I’m stripping back my sound so the audience can lean in a little closer and really hear my soul,” says Knight, whose hits include Made It Black, Greatest Day, Get Up, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Gold, Come As You Are, Keep This Fire Burning and Piece Of My Heart. Her special guest is Gabriella Cilmi. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Anastacia: Playing Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Not That Kind tour

Coastal gigs of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Skunk Anansie & Garbage, tonight; Anastacia and Heather Small tomorrow, gates 6pm

SKUNK Anansie and Garbage play Scarborough on a six-date tour. Formed in London in 1994, fronted by Skin, Skunk Anansie blend hard rock with political and social themes;  American alternative rock band Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson, combine rock, electronica and pop influences.

Chicago singer Anastacia heads to the Yorkshire coast to perform I’m Outta Love, Paid My Dues and Left Outside Alone et al on her Not That Kind tour. London soul singer Heather Small, of M People fame, is her special guest. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

York artist Ric Liptrot’s illustration for tomorrow’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party

Community event of the week: Bishy Road Street Party, Bishopthorpe Road, York, tomorrow, 11am to 4pm

 CELEBRATING community spirit and independent shops, Bishopthorpe Road Traders Association’s 2026 Bishy Road Street Party combines live music, family activities and food and drink, plus street vendors and community stalls. The main stage  plays host to performances by Yorkshire Voices (11am), Third Parallel (11.45am), Gaia On Fire (Juno, 12.30pm) and Bargestra (1.30pm), climaxing with headline sets by the Yorky Pud Street Band (14.15pm) and The Unnamed Band (3.15pm).

Look out for five children’s performances and interactive sessions, with appearances from Evergreen Explorers (11am), Professor Dan (12 noon), Baby Band (1pm), Elevate Dance Sessions (2pm) and Josh Benson (3pm). A children’s zone, featuring face painting, mud kitchen, crafts, hair braiding and balloons, will be set up on Ebor Street and entertainment will be spread across the event space. Charities, artists, makers and community groups offer games, activities and information. Free to attend; no booking required.

Artist and designer Es Devlin in the Temple of the Fours Winds at Castle Howard. Picture: Rick Walker, PA Media

Installation of the week: Es Devlin, Library Of The Four Winds, Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27

AS part of the Vanbrugh 300 celebrations at Castle Howard, artist and designer Es Devlin responds to  Sir John Vanbrugh’s visionary architecture with her luminous installation Library Of The Four Winds, a new mirrored sculpture that takes over the Temple of the Four Winds in honour of the National Year of Reading.

The temple’s original use as a place for refreshment and reading was Devlin’s starting point for a central sculpture made up of hundreds of books, curated from the personal libraries of Vanbrugh and Devlin.  The temple is encompassed by four concentric tables where the public can read, draw, talk, eat and listen. The space will host events throughout the summer. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

The many faces of Lenny Henry: Actor, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anedoctalist

Talk of the week: Lenny Henry, Still At Large, Grand Opera House, York, June 23, 7.30pm

PART stand-up, part storytelling and part conversation with himself and with you, Still At Large finds Lenny Henry returning to the experiences that shaped him while also exploring the ideas, challenges and creative sparks driving him today.

From The Lenny Henry Show and Chef! to dramatic performances in Othello and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power,  he traces the roles, characters and moments that have defined his six-decade career and shares what continues to inspire him as he reflects on a life lived out loud. On show will be the many versions of Lenny: actor, impressionist, comedian, fundraiser and stand-up anecdotalist. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Dan Wood, left, Stephen Wright, Lotty Farmer, Rosa Burns, Hannah Shaw and James Dickinson in York Light Opera Company’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 24 to 27 & June 30 to July 4, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees and 2pm Sunday matinee (28/6/2026)

NEIL Wood directs York Light in Rebecca Feldman, William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical account of six ‘mid-pubescents’ battling for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of words hoping to never hear the bell that signals a mistake.

Cue a heart-warming message that highlights themes of friendship, identity and perseverance, all while celebrating the awkwardness and excitement of growing up. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Jordan Eskeisa, left, Marienella Phillips, Chelsea Da Silva (The Enormous Crocodile, front), Precious Abimbola and Ciara Hudson in The Enormous Crocodile. Picture: Danny Kaan

Mischievous adaptation of the week: Roald Dahl Story Company in Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile The Musical, York Theatre Royal, June 25 to 28, 10.30am and 1.30pm.

ROALD Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees. Only fellow jungle creatures can foil his “secret plans and clever tricks”, but they need courage aplenty to stop this greedy, grumptious, horrid brute.

Equipped with Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab’s tunes, Suhayla El-Bushra’s rib-tickling book and lyrics and Tom Brady’s additional music and lyrics, the dastardly family adventure has been developed and directed by Emily Lim, working in tandem with co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié. Chelsea Da Silva, Precious Abimbola, Jordan Eskeisa, Ciara Hudson, Marienella Phillips and actor-musician René Francalanza star.Age guidance: Three plus. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Stewart Lee’s poster illustration for Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, on tour for three nights at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gigs of the week: Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf, Grand Opera House, York, June 25 to 27, 7.30pm

AFTER a five-night Theatre Royal run in the fledgling days of Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf in January 2025, the contrarian comedian returns to York for three more nights of testing whether the beast inside us all can be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s scalpel-sharp stand-up?

Lee will play the same material three ways: first up, telling liberal jokes in a liberal way, then, after a screaming transformation into the Man-Wulf, reactionary jokes in a reactionary way post-interval and, finally, wolf’s head removed, reactionary jokes in a liberal, left-leaning way. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Karl Mullen: Playing everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, at The Old Paint Shop

Cabaret gig of the week: The Old Paint Shop presents Karl Mullen, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 26, 8pm

AFTER two Old Paint Shop gigs last year, Karl Mullen, upright-piano busker, Phoenix Inn fixture and Leeds Piano Competition Pub Piano Champion, completes his hat-trick, serving up his high-energy take on everything from Chopin to Oasis, via Led Zeppelin and Les Dawson, packed with outrageous and heartfelt stories from decades of gigging. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

In Focus: Prima Choral Artists, Under One Sky, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 21/6/2026, 5pm & 7.30pm

Prima Choral Artists; poster for Sunday’s concerts at the double on Father’s Day

PRODUCER and artistic director Eve Lorian leads Prima Choral Artists in a compelling journey through global vocal traditions in two concerts on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York.

Under One Sky is a signature programme by this Polish-born, York-based choral director, who has consistently introduced unique concerts and explored new territory for York choirs for nearly two decades.

Eve’s latest artistic compilation is designed to celebrate the relationship between musical language, cultural identity and vocal technique, while recognising the unifying nature of the choral canon. Spanning a wide geographical and cultural spectrum, the repertoire highlights distinctive approaches to tone production, ornamentation, rhythm and ensemble cohesion.

Sunday’s programme opens with Sakura, a Japanese folk melody characterised by its pentatonic modality and lyrical phrasing. The Bulgarian works Kaval Sviri and Dilmano Dilbero exemplify the highly resonant, open-throated “white voice” technique, and this vocal aesthetic continues in Serbian folk music, where dance-derived rhythms and communal expression are central.

Folk traditions of the North Atlantic are represented through the French-Canadian J’entends le Moulin, with its rhythmic drive, alongside Wild Mountain Thyme and Gaelic Song Of The Boatman, which reflect the modal inflections of Scottish and Gaelic song traditions.

Prima Choral Artists’ founder, producer and artistic director Eve Lorian

The programme broadens even further afield through Yeish Kochavim (Hebrew), Evohé (Venezuela) and Dao Mai Fan Ye’ (Mandarin), each illustrating the interaction between text, rhythm and collective energy within their respective traditions. These works foreground the role of music in both ritual and communal celebration.

The final section centres on vocal traditions from the Torres Strait Islands and Southern Africa. Sesere Eeye reflects oral transmission practices and community-based performance, while Ngothando, Ndikhokhele Bawo and Papaoutai demonstrate the harmonies and call-and-response structures that are foundational to many African musical forms.

Eve’s diligent research has brought together this sparkling burst of music with the support of a choir who are no strangers to world music and singing in multiple languages.

“We have always been proud of our multi-cultural, international identity,” says Eve. “Music has always been a unifying force for good. These concerts, celebrating unity through diversity, represent a truth that sometimes only music can express.”

Giving a brief glimpse into the creative process behind these events, she adds: “Selecting the music takes weeks upon weeks of research and listening. I thrive on fresh choices, on presenting the unexpected – and these pieces are far from the standard choral repertoire.

Prima Choral Artists in concert under Eve Lorian’s direction

“But the title came so naturally: Under One Sky says everything that we mean to convey in these two performances!”

International connections for Eve and Prima Choral Artists are not merely constrained to concert programming. For more than a decade, Eve has led the way in introducing outstanding overseas opportunities for York choirs.

This commitment continues this summer with a concert tour to Prague from July 8 to 13 to take part in the International Choir and Orchestra Festival (Prague Festival 2026, July 9 to 13).

On September 6, Eve will welcome the Norwegian choir Fanakoret, from Bergen, for a Friendship performance with Prima Choral Artists at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, York, at 5pm.

“Before these opportunities comes the unmissable chance to join Prima on Father’s Day on Sunday at the National Centre For Early Music with the two time slots designed to complement everyone’s plans and make for a truly special weekend celebration,” she says.

Tickets are available from www.primachoral.com; with limited seating available, booking is recommended.

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York Festival of Ideas 2026 event of the day: National Centre for Early Music presents Olivia Chaney, Sons Of Art: Purcell Revisited, NCEM, York, June 5, 7.30pm

Olivia Chaney

OLIVIA Chaney, York musician, Grammy nominee and haunting voice of Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”, plays a sold-out concert for York Festival of Ideas tonight.

Olivia’s deep connection to the music of Henry Purcell runs throughout her life. Now comes Sons Of Art, her latest performance and album project highlighting the deep affinities between the Baroque composer and the modern singer-songwriter: a shared immediacy, a delight in word-setting and a fearless mix of high art and street culture.

For Olivia, this is not classical crossover but a radical reclamation – a conversation across centuries that feels startlingly fresh. Tonight’s show is part of a tour heralding the upcoming Purcell album, as this modern English songwriter, now 44, reimagines Purcell’s works in a refreshingly natural and contemporary way, alongside original compositions and a chamber ensemble.

“It’s kind of a home show, as I’ve lived in York for seven years,” says Olivia. “My now husband [George Younge] was a lecturer in medieval history at the university, but he’s quit to be a furniture designer and maker, with his workshop in Escrick, though we may be moving from York.

“For this concert, I’ve been corresponding with Delma (NCEM director Delma Tomlin] and thought how nice it would be to combine with the York Festival of Ideas.

“I’ve played a few shows in York before, but usually at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall [at the University of York].”

Olivia, however, also took part in a poignant concert on February 28 at the NCEM, where Eliza Carthy and Special Guests performed The Songs of Martin Carthy in celebration of the Robin Hood’s Bay folk titan’s 60-year legacy.

“It was a really emotional night, and I did something – I wept,” she recalls. “We’d just done The Life & Songs of Martin Carthy, a huge event at EartH Theatre, in Hackney, in September put on with Jon Wilks, with all the great and good of the folk world, Maddy Prior, Billy Bragg, Peggy Seeger, Martin Simpson, Eliza, Martin, and video contributions by Paul Weller, Van Dyke Parks and Bob Dylan. That one was particularly moving, Dylan saying Martin was a huge influence on him.”

Since then, Olivia had been to America to record her next album. “I came home, jumped in the shower and headed to the NCEM to pay tribute to Martin. I hadn’t expected him to be there [given his health], but then I saw him shuffling out of the green room to watch the concert. It was such a moving night.”

Now, Sons Of Art finds Olivia renewing her creative partnership with New York producer-pianist Thomas Bartlett. “The first album I made with him was called Shelter,” she says. “I’d written it on the North York Moors at Hawnby – before I lived in Yorkshire – when I’d been touring heavily in America and wanted to get away from everything. I had a Bechstein piano that my friends helped me transport there, then I had this surreal experience of writing songs in this bucolic setting and then recording them in mid-Manhattan!”

The release of next album Circus Of Desire, was delayed by Covid’s intervention, being held back until 2024. In the hiatus, her Six French Songs EP emerged in 2023.

“My third album with Thomas [the aforementioned Sons Of Art] will come out next year, and this season’s shows are a signposting of the start of the project: one that I’ve wanted to do for more than a decade, revisiting Purcell.”

Meanwhile, Olivia’s profile has been heightened by the presence of her stark, haunting rendition of the 19th century traditional folk ballad Dark Eyed Sailor in a pivotal scene in Emerald Fennell’s outre film “Wuthering Heights”.

“In a sense, I can’t answer completely how it came about in that the director ‘stumbled across the song’, like how after I made Six French Songs, French director Andre Techine – who had Catherine DeNeuve in all his films – found my song Auprès de ma Blonde, one of the first things I put on YouTube, which I then re-recorded for him.” she says. “The film was premiered at Cannes but never got taken up, so I’ve never seen it.”

Back to Emerald… “Having seen other movies by both Andre and Emerald, I think they were each looking for music to drive their narrative, so maybe that’s why Emerld settled on Dark Eyed Sailor, which she decided would be in “Wuthering Heights” right from the beginning.”

What’s more, Emerald was insistent on using the version she had first heard, rather than a new recording. Namely, Olivia’s recording to harmonium accompaniment for BBC Radio 2’s The Folk Show, made on May 22 2013. “There’s something about the rawness of radio sessions, and that was my first ever live session for Mark Radcliffe’s show,” she says.

“I remember painting my nails on the way to the studio, and I guess that session was the beginning of me finding my sound, delving back into folk music.

“In a way it’s a surprise that Emerald hasn’t chosen something from my albums, but she ended up using the song twice, once when  Cathy realises she has married the wrong man, and then later an instrumental version, orchestrating out my harmonium.”

How did Olivia react when she attended the premiere. “What was a big surprise was that I thought it might be a little bit imperceptible, or be swamped  by all the other music [by Charli xcx], but I was struck by how spare it was, so that you could hardly hear my harmonium,” she says.

“Emily Brontë’s novel is in my top ten, and I thought, ‘how can they use this happy song?’, but Emerald uses it so cleverly, where it’s seven years since Heathcliff went away and has now returned, so the theme is fidelity, as so many songs about sailors and soldiers are.”

Olivia reckons Fennel’s previous work, Saltburn, is superior. ““Wuthering Heights” is so ambitious, so hard to pull off, but where it maybe fails is in its humour,” she says. “But then there is no humour in my work. I’m not into humour in my art. I like humour but I want to be moved by art.”

Olivia Chaney, Sons Of Art: Purcell Revisited, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm. SOLD OUT.

Olivia Chaney: back story

BORN in Florence to a writer and painter-turned-academic, Olivia  grew up listening to everything from Prince to Joni Mitchell to Henry Purcell.

This eclectic mix of influences sparked a passion for song-writing that she nurtured at Chetham’s School of Music and The Royal Academy.

After showcasing at SXSW and a stint as lead singer for electronica outfit Zero 7, she signed with Nonesuch, leading to collaborations with Kronos Quartet and a Grammy nomination for Offa Rex, The Queen Of Hearts, a collection of Fairport Convention-era classics made with Portland, Oregon band The Decemberists in 2017.

Olivia’s first solo album, 2015’s The Longest River, produced by Leo Abrahams, was followed by 2018’s Shelter,  recorded in New York City with producer-pianist Thomas Bartlett. Both explored inherited trauma, the clash of tradition and modernity and the paradoxes of love. 

In 2023 came Six French Songs, her spontaneous set of French chanson, from medieval ballad to 1960s’ pop, made over two summer evenings at Reservoir Studios with Bartlett and violinist Sam Amidon.

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Folk gig of the week: John McCusker Trio, York Festival of Ideas, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 29, 7.30pm

John McCusker: Fiddler, composer, producer, trio regular, podcaster and masterclass teacher

SCOTTISH fiddler John McCusker is joined by virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and singer Sam Kelly and flute, whistle and guitar player Toby Shaer in his folk trio to perform a thrilling combination of instrumental dexterity, heartfelt songs and live energy on the eve of the York Festival of Ideas 2026.

“It was a really lovely surprise to learn it’ll be part of the festival,” says musician, composer and producer John. “I think it will influence what we’ll put in the set-list. It makes you look at the gig through a different lens, thinking about it being part of a festival of ideas.

“I always love coming to York. It feels like I’ve played everywhere there! It’s 36 years of touring now, where one of the lovely things is how places feel very familiar, like the NCEM in York, where we’ve made many friends and the stage feels very comfortable.”

Born in Belshill, fiddle, tin whistle, cittern and guitar player John began touring with the Battlefield Band at the age of 17. Now 53, he says: “One of the things I’ve always strived to do over those 36 years is to keep myself creatively stimulated, after working with many musicians that have inspired me.

“I feel lucky in having done things like bumping into Eddi Reader, who said she’d fallen in love with the songs of Robert Burns and then doing that record with her, or making a record with Kris Drever and Roddy Woomble [2008’s Before The Ruin].

“I’ve never had a plan. I’ve just bumped into people and ended up working with them, touring or making records, and hopefully they’re drawn to me by the magic that happens between us.”

John continues: “Like working with Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle [in an acoustic folk trio rooted in contemporary Celtic and roots music], when we didn’t want the magic to stop after doing Celtic Connections together.

“We’ve just done 40 gigs this year where what we play is barely discussed. We just go on stage and the creativity happens, the chemistry clicks.”

Now John’s attention turns to the John McCusker Trio with Sam Kelly and Toby Shaer, where their fusion of original compositions, traditional melodies and contemporary folk bursts with innovation, joy and soul.

“We’ve just made an EP that’ll be available at the gig – it was being pressed last week,” he says. “With Sam and Toby, it feels like we’re not just copying the other trios. This trio has its own qualities, developed by touring together several times.

“What we’ve discovered is that if I were to play what I play with McGoldrick and Doyle, it doesn’t sound right with Sam and Toby, so instead we try to play to our strengths, not doing something the other trios would, but thinking about what tunes would suit Sam and Toby. I’m loving the discovery of that, albeit I’m trying to do less travelling now.”

“After 36 years, I feel I still have so much to learn,” says John McCusker. Picture: Elly Lucas

John, who now lives in Perth & Kinross, has turned his hand to hosting a podcast, The Fiddle Line, interviewing the likes of fellow Scottish fiddlers Ali Bain and Duncan Chisholm. “The premise is that, as musicians, we meet at festivals, in recording studios or at concerts halls, where we’ll give each other a hug, play tunes together, but I didn’t know what Duncan’s back story was until I interviewed him for the podcast. I’m really enjoying doing the shows.”

John is also hosting fiddle weekends, “having shied away from teaching until I went to the Belfast Trad Festival”. “I did five days solid, teaching five hours a day, as well as concerts, where beforehand I was thinking ‘why am I doing this? I don’t like teaching’, when usually I’ll just do a two-hour masterclass at the Cambridge Folk Festival, but I so enjoyed it that I started teaching last year in the local village hall, in Crook of  Devon, just outside Kinross,” he says.

“One of the teaching sessions was with Duncan [Chisholm], where he gave a masterclass and we recorded the podcast live.”

From differing trios to podcasts and fiddle-teaching weekends, John is keeping himself “creatively happy”. “It’s this love of still learning, learning how to get better at teaching and podcasting,” he says. “After 36 years, I feel I still have so much to learn.

“I remember when I used to play in folk clubs at the age of 12, then joining the Battlefield Band at 17, then touring the world with Mark knopfler, playing arenas where the crowds got bigger and bigger, feeling out of my depth working with these genius musicians from all over, thinking how did I get here?

“But you learn so much by soaking it all up – and there are so many sides to it. I remember a chat with John Doyle and Michael McGoldrick, when we were playing at 100 miles an hour and feeling we were not getting anything back from the audience.

“We had to learn about the pacing of our gigs, when we were getting faster and faster. Or learning by talking to Ali Bain about what it was like in the early days.

“Or feeling that when I started playing with the Battlefield Band, I remember being young and touring with older musicians and observing the way they talked to the audience and set up a set of tunes or a song. That had a huge impact on me; how, after telling a joke, you can play anything because you have the audience right there.”

John returns to his statement of “sometimes wanting to travel less”, then qualifies what he means. “One thing I’ve never got tired of is how, when someone plants a creative seed, it blossoms into a record or into touring,” he says.

This applies to working with Sam and Toby. “We’re thinking, ‘what can we do with all these sounds?’; ‘how can we bring in as many influences as possible to the sound?’. I’m really buzzing off working with them, having been a fan of Sam for years, when I had no idea of his love of old songs.”

Tomorrow’s gig has sold out. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

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Sam Meredith to premiere York Fanfare at York Early Music Festival’s 50th anniversary

[hanse] Pfeyfferey: York Early Music Festival 2026 artists in residence. Picture: Vasilisa Gorbacheva

YORK Early Music Festival is to mark its 50th year in July with a spectacular new commission, the majestic York Fanfare, Flourish At 50, to be played several times during the opening weekend.

To create the fanfare, the festival joined forces with West Yorkshire composer Sam Meredith and the all-female German ensemble [hanse] Pfeyffery – it translate as [town] pipes – to create this magnificent piece of music.

Wakefield- born composer and multi-instrumentalist Meredith, who now lives in London, was a finalist in the 2023 NCEM Young Composers Award.

He was chosen from a strong line up of applicants, all alumni from the composers award, to be this year’s Commission Composer for the York Early Music Festival.

“We put out a call to all 100 of our award alumni, inviting bids from these composers,” says festival director Delma Tomlin. “[hanse] Pfeyffery then had conversations with selected composers and settled on Sam.”

Last year, Meredith completed his MA in Opera-Making and Writing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His work has been performed at the Barbican, London, and the annual Bauhaus Festival, London, under the tutelage of John Harle, who has commissioned him to write pieces for big band, large ensemble and most recently a duet for saxophone and piano. 

Meredith has sung and toured with the Idrisi Ensemble and was proud to appear in the choir for Alan Bennett’s 2025 film The Choral, filmed in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, directed by Nicholas Hytner.

The Yorkshire Fanfare will be performed by this year’s festival artists in residence, [hanse] Pfeyffery, a Renaissance wind band that specialises in improvised and rediscovered music from around 1500 played on shawms, cornetto, dulcian, slide trumpet and trombone.

The ensemble of Hannah Geisel, shawm, Lilli Pätzold, cornett, and Alexandra Mikheeva, slide trumpet and trombone, were finalists in the 2024 York International Young Artists Competition when they won the Cambridge Early Music Prize.

Composer Sam Meredith

The York Fanfare will open this year’s festival on Friday, July 3, played on the grass outside the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, at 6.20pm before the opening concert by I Fagiolini, and then be performed outside the West Door of York Minster before The Sixteen’s concert on Saturday, July 4 at 6.45pm, 7pm and 7.15pm.

The last chance to catch [hanse] Pfeyffery playing the fanfare will come on BBC Radio 3’s The Early Music Show, broadcast live from the NCEM, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, on Sunday, July 5 at 5pm.

[hanse] Pfeyffery also will perform Serenade for Isabella: The Casanatense Chansonnier at the York Early Music Friends Coffee Concert, a morning of music, conversation and coffee at the NCEM on July 4 from 10.30am to 11.30am.

Hosted by the Friends and open to everyone, the concert features works from the Casanatense Chansonnier, written as a wedding gift for Isabella d’Este in Ferrara in 1492, but also serving as a repertoire book for her piffari, or court wind-players.

[hanse] Pfeyffery will perform works from the Chansonnier based on vocal originals by Dufay, Agricola and Josquin, alongside instrumentally conceived pieces from Southern Germany, reflecting the powerful cultural exchanges that occurred at the Italian courts, creating a new secular repertory that would become widely popular across Europe.

York Fanfare composer Sam Meredith says: “In this piece, I wanted to emulate the rousing and awe-inducing nature of a traditional fanfare, while also creating a sense of playfulness, joy and celebration, more in the spirit of folk and dance music.

“The often syncopated landscape that emerged, first during the compositional process and then through working with [hanse] Pfeyfferey, is hopefully an exciting and an energetic tribute to the National Centre for Early Music, who commissioned this fanfare to introduce the 50th Early Music Festival in York.”

Dr Christopher Fox, who has been involved in selecting and mentoring the young composers for the NCEM Award since 2011, says: “Every year I am amazed at the imagination and skill of the composers who create music for the award scheme. The workshop day, at which eight young composers develop their work with a professional ensemble, is always very exciting.

“It’s also been a delight to see so many of the NCEM composers, such as Sam Meredith, go on to make a name for themselves. The NCEM alumni are a fantastic bank of compositional talent.”

For the full festival programme and tickets, visit ncem.co.uk/whats-on/yemf.

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More Things To Do in and around York when wizards wander and Romans rise. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 20, from The York Press

The Wizard of York (Dan Wood): Presenting the second WizardFest in York city centre. Picture: The Story Of You

FROM WizardFest to the Wizard of Prog, Roman festivities to musical & poetic nature lovers, Charles Hutchinson picks his hot spots for the Bank Holiday weekend and beyond.

Magical event of the week: WizardFest, York, today until Monday

WIZARDFEST, York’s official Festival of Wizardry, waves its magic wand over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend as The Wizard of York conjures up spellbinding events, tours, trails, workshops, shows and fantastical food and drink.

Wizardry fans can book for the Wizard Walk of York, Brick Magic LEGO workshop, Wizard Family Rave, Giant Bubble Show or Wicked at City Screen Picturehouse.  Expect owl appearances, dragons and the new Wizard Activity Zone on Parliament Street with wand making, face painting and more. Dress to impress for the free fancy dress parade from St Helen’s Square on Monday at 3p.m A digital map and full list of events with booking links can be found at wizardwalkofyork.com/wizardfest.

The Roman Camp in York Museum Gardens, part of the Eboracum Roman Festival in York. Picture: Gareth Buddo

Festival highlight of the week: Living History, Crafts and Combat, Eboracum Roman Festival, York, today and tomorrow

THIS weekend showcases the best of Eboracum with live performances, creative storytelling and historical demonstrations alongside fun family activities, insightful talks and opportunities to dive into archaeology in York.

At the Living History Camp in York Museum Gardens, discover how the Romans lived by talking to the legions in their camp and watch demonstrations of weaving, carpentry, pottery and blacksmithing. Check out military demonstrations and formations with Ermine Street Guard or join York Museum Trust’s Garden Team for a guided tour of the Edible Garden today. Look out too for artillery demonstrations and the Kids Barbaric Battle. For full festival details, visit: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/eboracum-roman-festival-2026.

Live baking on stage: Ellen Carnazza’s TV cook in crisis Petronella Parfait in Badapple Theatre Company’s Crumbs. Picture: Karl Andre

Bake-off of the week: Badapple Theatre Company in Crumbs, York Theatre Royal Studio, today, 2pm and 7.45pm

DISGRACED TV baking celebrity Petronella Parfait is out of a job and out of her depth, trying to reinvent herself in the cut-throat world of social influencers. Can she keep the lights on – and the oven – as her live comeback show descends into devilishly delicious disaster? 

Expect big laughs, bold flavours, live bread making and a tasty treat for the audience at the end of Kate Bramley’s play as Green Hammerton’s Badapple Theatre returns to the Theatre Royal Studio, where solo performer Ellen Carnazza plays multiple roles. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The Upbeat Beatles: Celebrating the Fab Four from the Cavern to Abbey Road at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Tribute gig of the week: Joseph Wilson Productions presents The Upbeat Beatles, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

THE Upbeat Beatles travel the Fab Four’s long and winding road from the early Cavern days through Beatlemania and Shea Stadium, New York City, to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and  Abbey Road, with narrative and full multi-media presentation. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Nobody puts Baby’s poster in the corner: Dirty Dancing In Concert at York Barbican

Film event of the week: Dirty Dancing In Concert, York Barbican, May 28, 7.30pm

RELIVE the film that stole the hearts of generations with this live-to-screen concert event featuring Emile Ardolino’s 1987 American romantic drama projected in full, accompanied by a live band and singers performing every song from the soundtrack. 

Feel the romance, rhythm and emotion as the love story of Baby and Johnny (Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze) comes to life on a full-size cinema screen. A dance-along encore party follows the final scene. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk

John McCusker: Leading his trio at the NCEM on Friday

Recommended but sold out already: John McCusker Trio, York Festival of Ideas, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 29, 7.30pm

SCOTTISH violinist John McCusker is joined by virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and singer Sam Kelly and flute, whistle and guitar player Toby Shaer in his trio to perform a thrilling combination of instrumental dexterity, heartfelt songs and live energy. Their fusion of original compositions, traditional melodies and contemporary folk bursts with innovation, joy and soul. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

The Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox poster for the The Future Is Vintage tour, visiting York Barbican on Friday

Retro gig of the week: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, The Future Is Vintage Tour 2026, York Barbican, May 29, doors 7pm

SCOTT Bradlee’s troupe of singers, dancers and instrumentalists perform a new show in signature time-twisting style, putting a retro spin on everything from Seventies’ rock classics and Britpop hits to the latest chart toppers and movie and video game soundtracks. 

“We’re humbly presenting our own unique vision of a spectacular future; one that is built upon the timeless musical genres of the past and the authentically human spirit of creativity that inspired them,” says founder and arranger Bradlee, who invites you to dress in your vintage best for the full time-travel experience. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Ben Moor on his ‘Three Thing Day’. Picture: Andy Lane, Barbican, London, January 11 2025

Oddball storytelling of the week: Ben Moor, A Three Thing Day, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, January 29, 7.30pm

A STORYTELLER for 30 years and counting, Ben Moor has a show opening later, but first he has a family meeting, and before that there’s a funeral. A single day can encompass the past, present and future; friends, family and strangers; the ridiculous, the moving and the inspirational. Like life.

Surreal and ‘melancomic’, Moor’s2025 Edinburgh Fringe hit is crammed with one-liners and observations, alongside beautiful and poetic digressions. Under discussion will be good gullibility, dolphin infestations, snacks and unreliable phones. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Mike Amber: Performing Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock songs with Lola-Mae at The Basement next Saturday

Nature lovers of the week: Navigators Art presents Back To The Garden, York Festival of Ideas, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, May 30, 7.30pm, doors 7pm

NAVIGATORS Art has invited York performers to celebrate and explore the York Festival of Ideas theme of Place and Space with a focus on the peaceful, wild, mythical, inspirational green worlds of gardens.

Original words and music features alongside well-loved works by familiar names in the company of storyteller Lara McClure; Mike Amber & Lola-Mae, taking on Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock; poet and novelist Janet Dean; performance poet Carrieanne Vivianette and alt folk band Sofa Sofa, whose songs are rooted in nature and people, woods, weather, long walks, short thoughts, longing and love. Box office: ticketsource.com/navigators-art-performance or on the door.

Rick Wakeman: Performing with English Rock Ensemble in The Wizard of Prog show at York Barbican next March

Gig announcement of the week: Rick Wakeman, The Wizard of Prog, Ultimate Highlights Concert Tour with English Rock Ensemble, York Barbican, March 11 2027

KEYBOARD player extraordinaire Rick Wakeman, who turned 77 on May 18, will be reuniting with the English Rock Ensemble to focus on a broad sweep across Wakeman’s classic back catalogue, including extracts from epic concept albums Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and The Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table, Yes material and surprises.

The band line-up reunites from 2025’s Return Of The Caped Crusader Part 2 tour: Wakeman, Jesse Smith (lead vocals), Adam Wakeman (keyboard, guitars and vocals), Dave Colquhoun (guitars and vocals), Lee Pomeroy (bass and vocals), Adam Falkner (drums) and backing vocalists Sara Davey, Jo Goldsmith-Eteson and Jo Marshall. Tickets go on sale on May 29 at 10am at yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/rick-27.

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on York Chamber Music Festival Launch Concert, Tim Lowe and Stephen Gutman, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 15

York Chamber Music Festival director and cellist Tim Lowe

THE recital was billed as the Festival Launch Concert – Gems of the Romantic Cello, but as the York Chamber Music Festival itself does not begin until September, I’m not entirely sure the description quite worked.

In truth, it felt more like a “taster” concert: a glimpse of what audiences might expect from this well-established and prestigious event later in the year.

That idea of a “taster” could — just — be applied to the opening work in the programme, Beethoven’s 12 Variations on “See The Conqu’ring Hero Comes”, WoO 45, for cello and piano, written when Beethoven was only 26 years old.

To be sure, he had already published significant works around this period — the Piano Trios, Op.1, the Piano Sonatas, Op.2, and his first two piano concertos — but it was as a virtuoso pianist that he initially established himself in Vienna. That background is reflected in the unusually substantial piano part.

The theme itself is based on the famous chorus from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, a composer Beethoven greatly admired. I really enjoyed the way the performers projected the reshaping of this famous ceremonial tune through the work’s changing moods and textures.

At first, the short movements came across as decorative, but from Variation 3 onwards the interplay became far more engaging. Here, cellist Tim Lowe’s agile playing danced around the melody while pianist Stephen Gutman’s accompaniment shimmered in the background.

The expressive cello line in Variation 5 felt almost operatic, while the witty exchanges and unexpected accentuation of Variation 7 were great fun. Even more thrilling were the technical fireworks of Variation 11. Indeed, it was the sheer exuberance of the performance that proved so enjoyable.

If describing the Beethoven as a “taster” work might be a slight stretch, it certainly applies to Richard Strauss’s Cello Sonata in F major, Op.6. Strauss began writing the work at the age of only 17 — an age when most young men are taking their first tentative steps into adulthood via their local pub.

The opening Allegro con brio was full of energy and passion. The roles of both players are very much equal, and Lowe and Gutman clearly relished the challenges. What struck me most was the orchestral nature of the writing: thick textures and an expansive Romantic atmosphere, especially in the development section.

Like the opening movement, the closing Finale: Allegro vivo featured exhilarating quickfire exchanges and extended virtuoso passages, particularly for the cello. The exhilarating dash to the finish line was genuinely thrilling.

Pianist Stephen Gutman

Yet it was the warm intimacy of the central Andante ma non troppo that left the strongest impression. Here, Lowe’s melodic playing glowed, amplified and sustained by Gutman’s tender support. But the partnership was very much one of equals, and the two players complemented each other superbly.

Camille Saint-Saëns’s Cello Sonata No.1 in C minor, Op.32 (1872), is surely one of the great Romantic works for cello and piano. The performers instinctively projected the dark, turbulent character of the opening Allegro. Lowe’s playing possessed the necessary dramatic nobility, while Gutman’s piano drove the music forward with urgency and weight.

The dialogue between the performers was powerful, while the sudden bursts of lyricism and the virtuosity of the closing passages fully convinced. Much the same could be said of the closing Allegro moderato, this time propelled by an almost relentless rhythmic momentum. Echoes of Beethoven? Maybe.

Once again, however, it was the central Andante tranquillo sostenuto that made the deepest impression. The sheer elegance of the playing was genuinely delightful.

One of the most striking features of the work was the dramatic use of the cello’s lowest string — the C string. The sound Lowe produced was dark and resonant, creating an almost orchestral quality throughout the sonata, and not only in the outer movements. In the Andante, that darker quality softened into warmth — a kind of chocolate-rich intimacy that proved utterly seductive.

This is a typical characteristic of Lowe’s instrument – the cello made by Carolus Tononi in Bologna in 1716 – and it may also explain the occasional blurring of the pitch centre in the higher positions.

The programme closed with Robert Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op.70, surely one of the finest short chamber works of the Romantic era. Originally written in 1849 for horn and piano, it was later rearranged — with Schumann’s blessing — by the cellist Friedrich Grützmacher for cello and piano.

I’m glad he did, because Lowe’s warm cello tone drew out and intensified the yearning quality of the Adagio. Both players shaped the movement beautifully, capturing its introspective character withreal sensitivity.

The pivotal transition to the explosive energy of the Allegro was entirely convincing. Schumann marks the music Rasch und feurig (“Fast and fiery”), and indeed it was.

Lowe’s cello playing displayed a dazzling, heroic character, filled with sweeping runs, dramatic leaps and sharp exchanges with Gutman at the piano. What really elevates the movement, however, is the brief glimpse back towards the earlier tenderness — a fleeting glance over the shoulder before the inevitable drive towards the triumphant conclusion.

I don’t usually like encores. They are almost invariably unnecessary, creating a self-indulgent buffer that obscures the impact of a concert’s true ending. But I really did like this one: Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style (Fünf Stücke im Volkston), Op.102, No.2 (Langsam). A sublime melody, beautifully played, reminding me why I fell in love with Robert Schumann’s music all those years ago.

Review by Steve Crowther