York Early Music Festival launches 2024 season

Florence Lockheart
Friday, March 1, 2024

Running from 6 – 13 July 2024, the festival will focus on the human voice and song through the theme ‘Metamorfosi’

This year’s festival will offer audiences eight days of music in historic venues across York including the National Centre for Early Music's home at St Margaret’s Church (Image courtesy of NCEM)
This year’s festival will offer audiences eight days of music in historic venues across York including the National Centre for Early Music's home at St Margaret’s Church (Image courtesy of NCEM)

York Early Music Festival (YEMF) has this week announced the programme for its upcoming 2024 edition. Centred around the theme of ‘Metamorfosi’ and with an emphasis on the human voice and song, this year’s festival will offer audiences eight days of music in historic venues across York.

Tickets are now available for the 2024 edition, which will also examine the creation, reimagination and reconstruction of music across time with guests including: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Sixteen, Gawain Glenton’s Ensemble In Echo and the Rose Consort of Viols. The festival’s parallel focus on the human voice will be showcased by vocal specialists including The Gesualdo Six, Concerto Soave, Vox Luminis and Cappella Pratensis.

Dr Delma Tomlin, MBE, Festival Director said: ‘This year’s exciting line-up sees the return of many festival favourites and a host of new ensembles. We’re especially thrilled to be working with Alamire Foundation, AMUZ in Antwerp and the Flanders Government, as part of a fantastic new partnership… Once again I would like to say a special thank you to the NCEM’s ever increasing number of Patrons and Friends for their invaluable support.’

This year’s festival marks the beginning of a collaboration with artists based in the Belgian region of Flanders as a result of new partnerships in the area, as well as the return of York’s biennial International Young Artists Competition which will close the festival with its final round on 13 July. Apotropaïk, the ensemble who in 2022 won multiple prizes at competition, will return to the festival to celebrate the music of Charles VII on 10 July and present an exploration of the concept of ‘La bella donna’ the following day.

A further platform for emerging talent takes the form of a series of chamber concerts curated by BBC New Generation Artist and festival artistic adviser Helen Charlston with guests including the Consone Quartet, harpsichordist John Butt, and mezzo-soprano Rebecca Leggett. The festival is also set to take in global influences with Cubaroque which sees Nicolas Mulroy, Elizabeth Kenny and Toby Carr pair Purcell and Monteverdi with songs from across South America.