Packed programme planned for 2024 Presteigne Festival
The 2024 Presteigne Festival will offer 24 fabulous arts events taking place over a five-day period at the end of August.
The festival programme offers an opportunity to hear some of Benjamin Britten’s less familiar work, contrasted with music from his contemporaries, his influences and those who, in turn, have been influenced by him.
The festival’s advocacy for new music will be greatly in evidence – it will welcome award-winning British composer Richard Blackford as composer in residence and include a mini-feature of music by William Mathias.
The music programme includes premieres of new work from a diverse cohort of composers – Michael Berkeley, Richard Blackford, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Nathan James Dearden, Michael Zev Gordon, James Albany Hoyle, Sarah Frances Jenkins, Tayla-Leigh Payne, Joseph Phibbs, Lynne Plowman, Lara Poe and James B Wilson.
Extant music from other living composers – Sally Beamish, Matthew Coleridge, Mared Emlyn, Ola Gjeilo, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Gabriel Jackson, David Matthews, Cecilia McDowall, Adrian Sutton, Huw Watkins, Judith Weir and Raymond Yiu – is programmed alongside pieces by J S Bach, Beethoven, Lennox Berkeley, Nadia Boulanger, Lili Boulanger, Bridge, Debussy, Dowland, Martinů, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Sibelius and Walton.
Apart from concert and opera performances, the programme will also include a variety of other events – exhibitions, film, talks and poetry and, in partnership with many local artists and makers, the popular Presteigne ‘Open Studios’ weekend.
The festival will feature a truly outstanding artist line-up, with performances from the Piatti Quartet, Nova Music Opera, pianists Huw Watkins, Annie Yim and Joseph Tong, Alice Neary (cello), Anne Denholm (harp), Rebecca Bottone (soprano), Rebecca Afonwy-Jones (mezzo-soprano), Nicholas Mogg (baritone), Daniel Shao (flute), Paul Galbraith (guitar), the Choir of Royal Holloway under Rupert Gough and the Presteigne Festival Orchestra conducted by artistic director George Vass.
The festival will take place in the Presteigne area from August 22 until 26. Visit presteignefestival.com for more information.
