Sacconi String Quartet
Ben Hancox & Hannah Dawson violins
Robin Ashwell viola | Cara Berridge cello
Simon Callaghan piano
Ravel String Quartet in F major
Bliss Piano Quartet
Franck Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14
The Sacconi Quartet are fast becoming Festival favourites and, considering they have been captivating audiences with their unanimous and compelling ensemble for over two decades now, it is easy to see why. They come this year with Simon Callaghan, whose impeccable playing we last enjoyed with the Greenwich Piano Trio in the 2023 Festival.
For our final concert, this is a true Festival programme in every way: arriving at the culmination of our celebrations of Maurice Ravel and Arthur Bliss, and finishing with one of the greatest Piano Quintets of all time.
Join us after the concert for a celebratory glass of wine!
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £28 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £18 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Deniz Sensoy violin | Alessio Enea piano
Debussy Beau Soir
Ravel Tzigane
Amy Beach Romance, Op. 23
Franck Violin Sonata in A major
This is the launch of our new ‘Young Artist Spotlight’ concerts, destined to be a sparkling feature of the Leamington Music Festival going forward. Turkish violinist Deniz Sensoy has already achieved notable recognition for her talent – she was named one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars for 2024, awarded the 2024/25 London Symphony Orchestra Conservatoire Scholarship, and recognized as a Britten Pears Young Artist among other accolades.
This is a perfect programme to complement our celebrations of Ravel who took inspiration in his early days from Debussy, and no violin recital in a French-infused Festival would be complete without Franck’s awesome Violin Sonata.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 1.30pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Elli-Mae McGlone organ
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Bach Prelude in B minor, BWV 544
Howells Sarabande (in Modo Elegiaco) from Six Pieces for organ
Widor Adagio from Symphony No. 5, Op. 42, No. 1
Duruflé Sicilienne from Suite pour Orgue, Op. 5
Leighton Et Resurrexit (Theme, Fantasy and Fugue for organ), Op. 49
Elli-Mae McGlone is currently an undergraduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying under Daniel Moult and Nicholas Wearne.
Born in Doncaster, she began to learn the piano at the age of 5 and later became Organ Scholar at Doncaster Minster under Darren Williams. During her gap year, Elli-Mae took the Organ Scholarship at St Edmundsbury Cathedral gaining experiences in service playing, conducting, as well as teaching. She was fortunate enough to perform for an event led by Vanessa Redgrave and Terry Waite whilst at the Cathedral. She has also had many opportunities to excel as a soloist over the years; from a young age, she has taken part in numerous regional piano competitions and more recently won the BOA Leonard Gibbons Organ Competition 2022 (an internal competition for RBC organ students).
Elli-Mae has performed in concert at venues such as Bristol Cathedral, Leeds Minster and St. Lawrence Jewry, London, and is very much looking forward to performing more concerts as musical life opens up.
Generously supported by the Friends of All Saints Music
Free entry | Retiring collection
Carducci String Quartet
Matthew Denton & Michelle Fleming violins
Eoin Schmidt-Martin viola | Emma Denton cello
Emma Johnson clarinet
Puccini Crisantemi
Bliss Clarinet Quintet
Emma Johnson Isolation Lament and Dance for solo clarinet and tapping foot
Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major, K581
The Carducci Quartet first played for Leamington Music in 2009 and this is their ninth concert for us; Emma Johson has also long been an audience favourite and returns to us after a wonderful concert in the 2022 Festival.
Arthur Bliss’s Clarinet Quintet is one of his most notable achievements; it is arguably the finest work in the medium from the 20th century and one that is performed and recorded far less frequently than it deserves. It certainly holds its weight in comparison with Mozart’s Quintet which makes for a wonderful and thought-provoking pairing in this programme.
Generously supported by Jennifer Lorch
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £28 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £18 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
A revealing talk by Andrew Burn (Chairman of The Bliss Trust) documenting Bliss’s life and works in a fascinating review.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 3.30pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
£8 adults / £3 students & children
Leamington Music gratefully acknowledges the support of the Bliss Trust for the Festival (www.blisstrust.org)
Roderick Williams baritone | Andrew West piano
‘A taste of exotic’
Schubert Kennst du das Land (Mignons Gesang), D321
W. Denis Browne Arabia
Bliss Siege
Rebecca Clarke A Dream
Amy Woodforde-Finden Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar (Kashmiri Song)
Duparc L’invitation au voyage
Sally Beamish Four Songs from Hafez
Harry T. Burleigh Five Songs of Laurence Hope
The return of another Festival favourite (and a National Treasure to boot!). Roderick Williams never ceases to delight with both his performances and his thoughtful programming. This time he features the music of Leamington-born composer William Denis Browne among other works inspired by distant lands.
Generously supported by Helen & Stan Ireland and Diane Holt
The finer details…
Interval: None
Estimated finish: 1pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
£23 (full price) / £11.50 (under-35s)
£3 (students & children)
Sinfonia of Birmingham
Michael Seal conductor
Helen Benson flute
Alida Fabris harp
Ravel Mother Goose Suite
Mozart Flute & Harp Concerto in C major, K299
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
A welcome return to the Festival for this wonderful orchestra and CBSO Associate Conductor Michael Seal. Last playing for us in the 2023 Festival with a thrilling performance of Rachmaninoff’s mighty Second Symphony, Sinfonia of Birmingham goes even bigger this year with Berlioz’s fantastical masterpiece. The inclusion of Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite was a must and we are lucky to hear Mozart’s Flute & Harp Concerto – a rare gem indeed.
The finer details…
Interval: 20 mins
Estimated finish: 9pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
Front Nave: £23 (full price)
Rear Nave: £13 (full price) / £9 (under-35s)
Student/Child: £3 (all seats)
Royal Pump Rooms | Assembly Hall
A platform which again showcases the cream of Warwickshire Music’s students from across the county, with a programme reflecting the themes of the Festival.
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 4pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
£8 adults / £4 students & children
Bliss Masks
Ravel Sonatine
Bliss Triptych
Poulenc Improvisation No. XV, “Hommage à Edith Piaf”
Poulenc Napoli – suite for piano
Coventry-born, and a noted pupil of Aldo Ciccolini, The Times has called Mark Bebbington “truly a remarkable pianist”. His international career has taken off in recent years, and we welcome this great champion of British music back to Leamington. Mark continues our Festival Ravel celebrations and begins for us those of Arthur Bliss who died 50 years ago this year.
Generously sponsored by Wiglesworth
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 1pm
Tickets:
Centre section: £18 full price | £3 child/student
Side sections: £13 full price | £9 under-35s | £3 child/student
Dominic Alldis Trio
Dominic Alldis piano | Oli Hayhurst double bass | Justin Tambini drums
Late-night Jazz
The Dominic Alldis Trio explores the meeting point of two musical worlds: classical and jazz. Taking inspiration from the Jacques Loussier Trio, Bill Evans Trio, Dave Brubeck Quartet, and the Modern Jazz Quartet, they bring a fresh and contemporary approach to famous themes from classical music, opera, and folk songs, with French music a speciality.
Generously supported by Mary & John Adams
The finer details…
Interval: none
Estimated finish: 11pm
Tickets:
Unreserved Seating
£18 (full price) / £9 (under-35s)
£3 (students & children)