A festival celebrating the best of music will return to Hexham Abbey later this month.
Hexham Abbey Festival of Music & Arts, founded in 1953, returns from September 26 until September 29 with a programme exploring Ancient to Modern music, showcasing the best in jazz, choral and classical music.
It is part of the year-long celebration of the 1,350th anniversary of the foundation of Hexham Abbey.
The school youth singing project will return to the Festival programme, led by Fiona Lander, a songwriter and educator. In celebration of the Abbey’s anniversary, Fiona composed a new work referencing early Abbey saints and their roles in its colourful history.
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Following singing workshops with approximately 200 pupils from various schools, and with Hexham Abbey choristers, the project culminates in the Festival's opening performance at 11am on Thursday, September 26. This is a free event and open to all.
Jo Harrop, Paul Edis, and Friends will perform from 8pm on Thursday evening. Led by virtuoso pianist, Paul Edis, and one of the most unmistakable voices in British jazz, Jo Harrop, they are joined by a stellar band which will perform classic jazz arrangements along with new songs from Jo’s latest album. Tickets cost £20.
Renowned Italian cellist Riccardo Pes will perform on Friday, September 27 from 1pm.
In this concert, which takes place the day before the first anniversary of the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian’s Wall, Riccardo reprises his Lament for the Tree.
The Lament is accompanied by a poem by local Hexham poet and educationalist Stan Beckensall and the performance is framed by JS Bach’s wonderful ‘Cello Suites, Nos 1 & 2. Tickets cost £15.
Classico Latino returns on Friday evening to entertain audiences and will be joined by violin legend Omar Puente. The concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets cost £20.
The centrepiece concert of the Festival, on Saturday, September 28, is the Hexham Abbey Festival Chorus and Orchestra. This year, celebrating the foundation of the first church on this site, they are performing Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece The Creation with a line-up of soloists and conducted by David Murray. The concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets cost £22.
The Festival concludes at 7.30pm on Sunday, September 29 with the ever-popular and traditional Candlelight Concert which this year is presented by The Marian Consort, directed by Rory McCleery.
The group returns to the Abbey with a specially curated programme titled The Hexham Hours, celebrating music from early times to the present day. Tickets cost £20.
Joint artistic director Martin Hughes said: “We have concerts for all tastes with superb artists coming to sing, play, and entertain throughout our four-day festival. We are immensely proud of this year’s programme and would urge early booking to avoid disappointment. Our festival services demonstrate the tremendous work of the Hexham Abbey Choirs under the inspired direction of Michael Haynes, and you would be very welcome to attend these events.”
This year’s Hexham Abbey Festival has been supported by: Parmley Graham Ltd; The Community Foundation; Chris and Jennifer Britton; Nick Rossiter; The Violin Shop Ltd, Hexham; The Haydn Society of Great Britain; The Rotary Clubs of Hexham and Tynedale; The Henry Bell Trust; Margaret Huntington; Robert and Christine Hull; Chris and Mary Wilson; and The Northumbrian Magazine.
Concert tickets for children and students cost £5.
Tickets can be purchased online through the Queen’s Hall, the website or at their box office.
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