Newbury music festival launched as tickets go on sale

AFTER a very successful pre-sale to sponsors and friends, tickets for Newbury Spring Festival went on sale to the general public on Tuesday and was celebrated with a lunchtime reception at the Corn Exchange, one of the two-week festival’s concert venues.

The festival’s diverse programme of classical, choral, chamber, cabaret, dance, jazz, folk and world music takes place in Newbury and its surrounding villages from May 11 to 25.

Festival director Mark Eynon said: “This anniversary year proudly celebrates the 45th Newbury Spring Festival, the 25th Anniversary of our wonderful Festival Chorus, the 15th Anniversary of our own Sheepdrove Piano Competition, and a personal milestone - my 25th anniversary as festival director.

“We will continue our long-standing tradition of bringing the best artists from around the world to Newbury and its immediate area as we welcome musicians from as far afield as India and Japan, USA, Argentina, Spain, Ukraine, Holland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and of course the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“Our international programme, “two weeks of world-class music” also continues to feature some of the finest young artists emerging on the international scene in both our Young Artist Recital Series and within the evening concerts, as soloists and ensembles alongside some of the greatest and most established musicians whom we are honoured to welcome to Newbury.”

London Mozart Players will open the festival on Saturday, May 11 as the popular orchestral concerts at St Nicolas’ Church continueand closing the Festival is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra .

Also at St Nicolas Church is the 25th anniversary concert of the town’s own Newbury Spring Festival Chorus (Friday, May 17 ), who are performing with members of Southbank Sinfonia. They will sing a popular programme of choral greats, including Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Vaughan Williams’ 5 Mystical Songs, with Alex Ashworth, and Haydn’s Nelson Mass under the baton of their chorus master Tom Primrose.

Chamber music also features prominently on the programme and international young star musicians are given the spotlight throughout the festival. The popular lunchtime series of Young Artist Recitals continues at Newbury’s Corn Exchange, featuring some of the best up-and-coming young musicians of all genres including the winner of this year’s Sheepdrove Piano Competition following the public final at Sheepdrove Eco Centre the previous afternoon.

Also in the mix is ballet, theatre jazz, Japanese drumming, folk and Indian classical music.

Visit https://www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk/ to see the whole programme of events.