Internationally renowned musicians announced for Harrogate Music Festival 2023
Harrogate International Festivals has announced early programme highlights for this year’s spectacular Harrogate Music Festival, which will take place across three long weekends, beginning on the 29th June with a Grand Opening Concert at the town’s Royal Hall.
Internationally renowned orchestra Chineke!, will launch the Festival, making its Harrogate debut. Praised for its ‘special electricity’ at its Proms debut and joining Stormzy on stage at this year’s BRIT Awards, Chineke! comprises exceptional musicians from across the continent brought together with Scotland-based American conductor Kellen Gray.
Each weekend features a series of carefully curated performances that celebrate the history and legacy of the Festival – now in its 58th year. Julian Lloyd Webber is back with a bang in a post pandemic homecoming on 1st July, whilst on the 2nd July, violinist and winner of the 2018 BBC Music Magazine Award Fenella Humphreys presents a new collaboration with Oxford historian Leah Broad, exploring ‘lost voices’ through violin music.
Festival legends Oddsocks make a welcome return on the 4th and 5th July to perform Much Ado About Nothing – with its fresh take on Shakespeare, and this year Guest Curator, pianist Robin Green, will head up an exciting weekend residency featuring twelve musicians in ten concerts over four days from 6th July.
The third and final weekend features the incredible Mike Lovatt, who premieres his brand-new project the Brass Pack inspired by the iconic 1958 Capitol Records album Billy May’s Big Fat Brass. A silent disco for children and a family festival will also take place this weekend.
Sharon Canavar, Harrogate International Festivals Chief Executive, comments: “I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are about this year’s Music Festival. Our first full programme post- pandemic with a host of international names performing in some of Harrogate’s most beautiful buildings.
“We look forward to welcoming our audiences back to one of our flagship festivals this summer.
“Guest Curator Robin Green said: “It is my huge pleasure to be Guest Curator at Harrogate International Festivals this year. I have always been romantic about festivals, about creating an opportunity to escape day-to-day reality and getting to the truth of what music can be.
“It has been a dream to put this project together, and I can’t wait to share it with the audiences”.
Full details of the Music Festival can be found in the brochure below. Priority booking for Friends of the Festival opened on Thursday 30 March, with general ticket sales opening at 10am on Wednesday 5 April. Tickets can be booked online here, or call the Box Office on 01423 562303.