York Early Music Christmas Festival reveals programme

The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) has announced the programme for its upcoming York Early Music Christmas Festival. Running from 6 to 15 December, the festival will welcome three ensembles from Europe as well as a host of homegrown talent.

The festival is set to kick off on 6 December with a concert from Baroque ensemble Spiritato featuring music and manuscripts uncovered by their director Kinga Ujszászi. This is followed by Siglo de Oro’s ‘Hey for Christmas!’ concert programme of mid-17th century festive revelry and a contrasting programme focusing on love and melancholy featuring soprano Emilia Bertolini, theorbo player Sergio Bucheli and harpsichordist Lucy Chabard. The first weekend is rounded off by Solomon’s Knot’s programme of Motets by Johann Sebastian and Johann Christoph Bach as part of the ensemble’s Bach Motets UK tour.

NCEM director Dr Delma Tomlin MBE said: ‘The York Early Music Christmas Festival is a firm favourite on the city’s calendar and this year I’m thrilled to welcome three ensembles to York who will no doubt be a fabulous addition to this year’s spectacular programme. The NCEM is dedicated to promoting the extraordinary array of talent from Europe’s vibrant Early Music scene and we are grateful to be able to continue to celebrate their music in York.  We hope that this will be a regular feature in our festive programme in the years to come.’

The second weekend of the festival will see Stile Antico present a programme of music taking the audience on ‘a musical journey through the Christian story’. BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble Augelletti follows this with ‘The Morning Star’ celebrating 17th- and 18th-century astronomers. Yorkshire Bach Choir and the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists then join forces on Saturday 14 December to present a programme of Bach’s Magnificat plus two Christmas cantatas before Karin Weston, Cécile Walch, Julia Marty and Amy Farnell present an exploration of women through music history.

Founded in 1997, the York Early Music Christmas Festival was created to introduce audiences to early music associated with Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. It closes on 15 December with ‘A Merry Conceit’, a concert exploring the theme of seeking light amid dark winter weather given by viol-voice duo Intesa ahead of their next York performance at Baroque Around the Books, a short residency in association with York Libraries.