Ryedale Festival announces line-up of internationally renowned musicians to perform across North Yorkshire – Jem Girl at the Piano

The Ryedale Festival continues to affirm North Yorkshire’s reputation as a leading destination for live classical music, offering audiences a festival experience shaped by vision, innovation and artistic excellenc

This year’s summer festival takes place between Friday 11th – Sunday 27th July and features 57 performances in 33 spectacular locations right across the county, from the seaside charm of Scarborough to the historic market town of Skipton.

The classical music festival, which also embraces jazz, folk, poetry and participation opportunities, enjoys a large, loyal and enthusiastic audience, the warm support of the local community and a reputation as one of Europe’s leading festivals of its kind. Set against the backdrop of spectacular venues from Castle Howard to Selby Abbey, beautiful market towns, ancient frescoed churches and stunning landscapes, the festival promises an immersive journey through music and culture in an area full of history and natural beauty.

Now in its 44th year, the festival welcomes a line-up of internationally renowned musicians. Artists in Residence include trailblazing saxophonist Jess Gillam, Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, Royal Philharmonic Society Singer of the Year Claire Booth, and internationally renowned violist Timothy Ridout. Joining them as Ensembles in Residence are the legendary Austrian string quartet Quatuor Mosaïques and superstar vocal ensemble VOCES8.

Alongside them, visiting artists such as Stephen Hough, Imogen Cooper and Thomas Trotter promise performances of the highest calibre, while chamber music highlights include a musical journey through the final string quartets of Haydn and Schubert. Orchestral concerts include Royal Northern Sinfonia in Norton, Orchestra of Opera North in Ripon, Arcangelo in Selby, and a Festival debut for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

The festival’s commitment to new music is demonstrated by a major new song cycle exploring northern identity by Gavin Higgins, co-commissioned with Britten Pears Arts. Taking its cue from the music of Grieg and poems by Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, Speak of the North is described by the composer as “a sprawling journey through physical and imagined landscapes of the North. It includes songs about the Peak District, Manchester as seen from above, Northumbrian folk heritage and coal mining landscapes – plus an argument between Hadrian’s Wall and the Sycamore Gap tree.”

The festival also presents the world premiere of newly orchestrated work by Arthur Bliss. Fifty years after his death, composer Philip Wilby has honoured Bliss’s original vision for his passionate post-war Viola Sonata, transforming it into a concerto to be performed by Timothy Ridout with the Orchestra of Opera North, alongside Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

The programme also retrieves music that has slipped through history’s fingers, including a rare UK performance of Michael Tippett’s joyful and unjustly neglected chamber cantata Crown of the Year which is revived by an outstanding group of musicians and Tippett biographer Oliver Soden, alongside other works by Tippett that have not been performed for decades.

Jazz, folk and literature all weave into the programme. Ronnie Scott’s music director Pete Long salutes the genius of Duke Ellington with an all-star band and folk legend Kate Rusby share songs from her new album – both in Malton’s Milton Rooms. Meanwhile, Dame Harriet Walter channels Jane Austen’s wit and wisdom in a theatrical retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and poet and playwright Caroline Bird presents newly commissioned work inviting audiences to reflect on the relationship between words and music.

Reflecting the festival’s belief that music is for every stage of life, Concerteenies will tour the region offering events for families, children and even pre-crawling babies, while Bibi Heal’s groundbreaking Songs That Move project taps into music’s transformative power for those with conditions such as Parkinson’s, stroke and dementia.

And for those who love to sing and to take part, workshops and ‘Come and Sing’ events led by VOCES8 and Eric Whitacre invite everyone to join in the joy of collective music-making.

BBC Radio 3 broadcasts five concerts from the festival, including a recital by BBC New Generation Artists including German pianist Julius Asal, American violinist Hana Chang, Estonian flautist Elizaveta Ivanova and Uruguayan-Spanish tenor Santiago Sanchez.

In parallel, the festival’s own Young Artist Platform, relaunched this year in association with the Waverley Fund, offers performance, mentoring and career-shaping opportunities for exceptionally talented performers at the beginning of their careers. This year’s Young Artists are guitarist Jack Hancher, pianist Firoze Madon, recorder player Hassan Marzban, pianist Ethan Loch and the Fibonacci Quartet

The festival continues to demonstrate its commitment to reaching the widest possible audience. Over 2,000 heavily discounted tickets will be made available through the Ryedale Rush scheme, while anyone under the age of 25 can attend nearly all events for £5 or less.

The festival takes place in beautiful and historic Yorkshire locations offering audiences a very special, enriching and immersive getaway. New venues for the festival this year include Ripon Cathedral, Skipton Town Hall, Malton’s Wesley Centre and All Saints Church in Northallerton, as well as a return to Selby Abbey and a ‘Troubadour Trail’ by mandolinist Alon Sariel that brings music to tiny and remote country churches across the county.

Reflecting on this year’s programme, Festival Director Christopher Glynn said: “Festivals matter. They connect communities, spark creativity, support local economies and enhance lives.

“And in a world where screens so often replace shared experiences, festivals remind us of something irreplaceable: live music. The energy, the spontaneity, the buzz of a live audience and musicians responding to each other in the moment – nothing else compares.

“This summer we invite audiences to step into beautiful North Yorkshire locations and meet extraordinary performers not as distant figures on a stage, but as fellow humans sharing something vital. In Ryedale, music isn’t just something to listen to, it’s something to be part of.”