Northern Aldborough Festival announces 30th anniversary programme

Florence Lockheart
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

As well as seeing the return of the New Voices Singing Competition, the 2024 festival will present an exciting array of emerging and established talent

The festival will kick off on 13 June with a programme of Tchaikovsky and Chopin performed by the Fantasia Orchestra © Frank Noon
The festival will kick off on 13 June with a programme of Tchaikovsky and Chopin performed by the Fantasia Orchestra © Frank Noon

The Northern Aldborough Festival has revealed the programme for this year’s edition which will mark the festival’s 30th anniversary. Running from 13-22 June, the festival will bring talent including Sir Tony Robinson, Alim Beisembayev, Viktoria Mullovaand the Armonico Consort to audiences in the north Yorkshire village of Aldborough.

This year’s festival will also host the second annual New Voices Singing Competition. Launched in 2023, the competition’s live semi and grand finals will see emerging classical and vocal talent compete for cash prizes in front of a judging panel including conductor Edward Gardner OBE and Sir John Tomlinson CBE. Inaugural winners Lea Shaw (mezzo soprano) with Kristina Yorgova (piano) will also perform at the 2024 festival.

Festival director Robert Ogden said: ‘We’ve got some world-class musicians once more in Aldborough. It doesn’t matter if you are an aficionado of classical music, or you’re a complete novice, we hope audiences will come and experience these very special performances. The rewards of a live concert are so huge, there’s nothing like it; it’s an emotional, visceral experience that you can’t replicate on a screen. It’s a chance to hear remarkable sounds in an intimate and gorgeous countryside setting.’

The festival will kick off on 13 June with a programme of Tchaikovsky and Chopin performed by the Fantasia Orchestra (pictured above) led by former Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra associate conductor Tom Fetherstonehaugh. The orchestra will be joined by pianist Alim Beisembayev who won the most recent Leeds Piano Competition.

In its mission to bring high-end live music to its rural location, the Northern Aldborough Festival will feature the Armonico Consort’s semi-staged production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, alongside classical guitarist Jack Hancher, pan-flute player Adriana Babin and saxophone-accordion ensemble, Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo. The festival’s Young Artist Showcase will also bring a host of emerging talent to Aldborough’s St Andrew’s Church.