Classical music can be as exciting, quirky and compelling as any genre, as the trailblazing Helena Ricci goes to show.
The award-winning Swiss classical harpist combines music, art and technology to bring classical music to a wider audience and change the way people think about the harp.
Her performance in the Spiegeltent (July 1) features haze machines, LED lighting, and audience phone lights to create a stunning “glow in the dark” gig.
Ricci is far from the only musical innovator coming to Harrogate Music Festival this summer.
James Morley is a soloist and chamber musician whose experimental approach to electronic and orchestral music has won him both plaudits and prizes. As part of the Young Musicians Series, the Australian-born cellist has a bright future and is definitely one to watch at the Spiegeltent (July 5).
So, too, are The Gildas Quartet. The prize-winning British string group have carved out a reputation for their innovative take on classical music, which the audience in Harrogate will be able to experience in “surround sound” as they move between the players.
Proof, if it was ever needed, that classical music is alive and doing very well.