An international music festival featuring a world premiere has been announced.
Now in its 12th year, Hellensmusic, co-founded by the British pianist Christian Blackshaw, will be held from May 8 to May 11, 2025, in Much Marcle, Herefordshire.
The festival will take place in Hellens Manor, St Bartholomew’s Church, and The Walwyn Arms.
The event, which includes a music residency for international students, will showcase a world premiere for Bandoneon and Strings by Omar Massa.
Music from Lera Auerbach, Bartók, Beethoven, Rebecca Clarke, and Dohnányi will also feature.
The festival, which lasts four days, offers a mix of chamber music concerts and free-to-observe daytime masterclasses.
Artistic directors Maya Iwabuchi, leader of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Matthew Hunt, principal clarinetist of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, will join Blackshaw.
They have invited musicians from around the world to join them, including principal bassoon of the Aurora Orchestra Amy Harman, former principal viola in the Gewandhaus Orchestra Gareth Lubbe, principal cellist of BBC NOW Alice Neary, pianist Julien Quentin, composer and bandoneon player Omar Massa, and violinist Charlotte Scott.
The festival's highlights include the world premiere by Omar Massa, performed in The Great Barn at Hellens Manor on May 10, in a programme featuring music by Dohnányi, Mozart, and Haydn.
The festival opens on May 8 at St.
Bartholomew’s Church with a folk music-inspired programme, showcasing music by JS Bach, Biber, Bartók, and Rebecca Clarke.
An evening concert on May 10 will see Julien Quentin, Omar Massa, and Matthew Hunt perform 300 years of the Greatest Hits at Much Marcle’s pub, the Walwyn Arms.
Hellensmusic also invites international students to join the distinguished lineup of musicians, providing an opportunity to learn, work, and live together for ten days in the manor's surroundings.
The public is invited to observe the free masterclasses during the day, and the festival’s Sunday concerts offer the students a platform to perform as soloists, as well as side by side with their tutors as chamber musicians.
For more information about the festival and its programme, visit the festival's website.
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