Ripon ready for red hot festival

RED hot baroque quartet Red Priest, led by Piers Adams, are one of the appealing mix of musical styles and performers being lined up for this year's Ripon International Festival, which runs from September 2 to 17 at venues including Ripon Cathedral, Harrogate Royal Hall and Markenfeld Manor.

The cathedral will host Weber’s Overture Oberon, Bruch’s Violin Concerto and Schubert’s majestic 9th Symphony, known as The Great, in a gala concert by the Royal Northern Sinfonia on September 10. The conductor is the festival's artistic director, Janusz Piotrowicz, and the violin soloist is Alexander Sitkovetsky, recipient of the Lincoln Center New York Emerging Artist Award 2016.

Piotrowicz also conducts the London Mozart Players in the festival's closing concert at the Royal Hall in a programme of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, with virtuoso soloist Daniel Bates, and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.

Red Priest's show is called Gypsy Baroque Fantasy. Other performers include ensemble Joglaresa, presenting elements of mediaeval, Middle Eastern, flamenco and Celtic music. Aquarelle Guitar Quartet will perform a mix of popular music including Santaolalla’s Motorcycle Diaries.

The Carnival Band, folk singer Kathryn Tickell and saxophone wizard Huw Wiggin with his Ferio Saxophone Quartet are also appearing. There is a puppet show for families, The Fisherman and the Pearl, and an adaptation for children of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Box Tale Soup Theatre Company.

* For full programme and online bookings, go to riponinternationalfestival.com. Box Office: 01765-605508 or Harrogate Theatre on 01423-502116.