English Haydn Festival returning to Bridgnorth

The event will run from June 7 to 11 and the theme this year is “Haydn Across the Years” which indicates Joseph Haydn’s influence on the development of music up to the present day.

The festival hosts a line-up of internationally acclaimed soloists including Simon Standage, Christophe Coin, Pavel Serbin, Mark Baigent and Eva Caballero together with the English Haydn Orchestra conducted this year by Steven Devine.

These world class musicians will perform at venues including St Leonard’s Church and St Mary’s Church in Bridgnorth as well as the country church of Acton Round.

The programme for the evening concerts includes five Haydn symphonies, a cello concerto by Abel, a Michael Haydn flute concerto and a Thomas Linley violin concerto along with an

oboe concerto by Krommer and a highlight will be a performance of Hoffmann’s double cello concerto performed by Christophe Coin and Pavel Serbin.

The chamber music concerts feature Quatuor Mosaiques, the Salomon String Quartet, Florilegium , the Festival Wind Quintet and the English Haydn Ensemble.

The festival will also feature the premiere performance of Luke Bedford’s “Orbita” quartet which has been commissioned for the festival and will be played by the Salomon Quartet at St

Leonard’s Church on June 8 at 1pm.

The festival concludes with Michael Haydn’s Requiem performed by the Haydn Festival Chorus under the direction of John Moore with soloists Philippa Hyde, Miranda Westcott, Daniel Norman and Andrew Slater.

The Sunday morning service in St Mary’s Church will feature extracts from Joseph Haydn’s “Heiligmesse” sung by St Mary’s Chamber Choir and following the service there will be a short piano recital by local students and the accomplished local pianist Oliver Clarke.

Each evening meals will be served in the festival marquee by Fresh and Lush.

For further information about the event and to order tickets, visit englishhaydn.com or telephone the ticket office on 07547 289704.