We’re delighted to announce that booking for Newbury Spring Festival 2020 is now open! We hope you’ll join us for our 42nd Festival as we present two weeks of world-class music in and around Newbury. With performances from the worlds of classical, jazz, gospel, folk, ballet, and cabaret; there is so much to look forward to this May.
Tickets can be booked online, by calling the box office on 0845 5218 218, or in person at the Corn Exchange, Newbury.
This year the Festival opens in St Nicolas church with an all-Beethoven programme from the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo with Paul Lewis playing Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4. On Saturday 16th May the London Mozart Players and Stephen Barlow return to the Festival with an all-Mozart programme culminating in the Mozart Coronation Mass with soloist Sophie Bevan alongside Newbury’s own Spring Festival Chorus. Tasmin Little will close the Festival with the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra under Nikolai Alexeev for what will be one of her last concert performances before retiring. She will play the Korngold Violin Concerto.
This year the Festival visits two new venues, Nicholas Daniel joined by members of the Britten Oboe Quartet will perform at St John’s Church Newbury and the Wiener Kammersymphonie will play an all-Beethoven programme at Church of the Ascension, Burghclere. The Festival returns to Englefield House for a 20th anniversary concert by 4 Girls 4 Harps, to St Mary’s Shaw with Northern Chords Ensemble, to Kintbury with the Kinsky Trio and to Sheepdrove Eco Centre with Mikhail Kasakevich’s piano recital. Making their Festival debut the Festival Scottish Fiddlers RANT will be at Donnington Priory and musical theatre star Liz Robertson at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s private Theatre at Sydmonton Court.
The Festival continues its tradition of presenting world class vocal and choral music, highlights of which include 2019 Cardiff Singer of the World Andrei Kymach in a rare solo recital at Newbury Corn Exchange, Lucy Crowe returning to St Lawrence’s Church Hungerford for an all-Strauss programme and contralto Hilary Summers in cabaret at Combe Manor. The Carice Singers will give a musical celebration of Spring at St Martin’s Church East Woodhay and Solomon’s Knot return to Holy Cross Church Ramsbury for an evening of Bach cantatas. Recently renovated Douai Abbey will host The Sixteen in their 20th anniversary Choral Pilgrimage.
The Corn Exchange in the centre of Newbury holds a daily programme of which highlights include The Sons Of Pitches, Clare Teal and her trio, The Dominic Alldis Trio with their tribute to Jacques Loussier, steel band Solid Steel Ambassadors, Bollywood Brass Band, Derek Paravicini with his new quartet and satirical duo Bounder and Cad. John Lill returns to the Festival to give an afternoon performance of some of Beethoven’s most popular sonatas. Graduating students from Ballet Central and Chichester University Music Theatre Company return with new shows and for younger audiences there is a performance of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Waterperry Opera.
Every year the Festival offers the chance to discover young emerging artists with its renowned Young Artists lunchtime concert series of which highlights include baroque group Ensemble Hesperi, horn virtuoso Ben Goldscheider, award-winning cellist Jonathan Swenson, period enemble Consone Quartet and guitarists Duo. In its 12th edition, the festival’s own Sheepdrove Piano Competition, with Beethoven as this year’s chosen composer, will feature outstanding finalists drawn from the cream of all the major UK conservatoires.