[S]t Oswald’s Church in Grasmere and The Wordsworth Hotel are once again to act as venues for two unique concerts to be held in January next year as part of an annual cultural and musical tour.
Beginning on Tuesday 23rd January with An Opera Gala Evening to be held in St Oswald’s Church, The North Wales Opera Studio, under the instruction of Anne Williams-King and David Bartleet, will provide the musical entertainment. The programme will include arias, duets and semi-staged scenes from some of the great composers, including Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Bizet, when the acoustics of the building should add grandeur to the music.
On Wednesday 24th January, there is an Evening of Sacred Music being held in St Oswald’s Church, the most appropriate setting from which to appreciate these beautiful and stirring spiritual melodies and words. The music will include excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart and Verdi as well as other classics from the canon. This performance will showcase one of the most enduring of musical genres and should prove a truly uplifting experience.
Commenting on the Festival, Organiser Barbara Huddart, said: “We are delighted that the Northumbrian Music Festival is heading to the Lake District in Cumbria as part of its tour. This is wonderful opportunity for people to enjoy some post-Christmas relaxation, amazing music, along with wonderful food in the beautiful setting of Grasmere village. We know from our experience that this combination ensures that these concerts are hugely memorable events for all who attend.”
This, the 7th Northumbrian Music Festival, presents a programme that will last from January to April 2018, featuring concerts at Doxford Hall and Esthott Hall near Alnwick in Northumberland and Ednam House Hotel in Kelso. Highlight concerts within the festival include HMS Pinafore from Scratch – a staged version of the G&S favourite for Soloists and Audience, as well as Prime Brass, Cambridge, who have been hailed by Classic FM as an “Exceptional Brass Ensemble”. The Northumbrian Ranters will once again showcase the talents of the new generation, and internationally renowned Baritone Graeme Danby and Tenor Austin Gunn both have themed evenings devoted to The North East and Spring, respectively. The Three English Tenors also return to entertain with the highnotes of their careers and harmonised voices.
Tickets for both concerts are priced at £55, and include a complimentary drink with canapes on arrival a three course gourmet dinner with coffee and petit fours at the The Wordsworth Hotel, and concert ticket. This allows guests to enjoy meals from one of the Robert Parker Collection Hotel’s award winning restaurant, after which they will experience a concert of enthralling music performed in St Oswald’s, a 15th Century gem and shrine to the poet Wordsworth.
Further details for the Northumberland Music Festival can be found at www.nmfestival.co.uk or telephone 01668 283100.
