Swaledale Festival, North Yorkshire Announces Line Up

Featuring virtuoso classical musicians; folk, jazz, brass and world-music concerts; theatre, art exhibitions and guided walks... These are among the attractions at the 2012 Swaledale Festival, an explosion of music and the arts set in the stunning scenery of the northern dales.

19 MAY
Family Folksong Workshop - Reeth Methodist Church, Reeth, 11:15
Northumbrian singer Kat Davidson welcomes people of all ages to sing folksongs together. No experience needed. In association with The Sage, Gateshead and Folkworks. £6/£3

The Olympianist – Reeth Green, Reeth, 17:00
To celebrate the London Olympics, concert pianist Anthony Hewitt will cycle for charity from Land's End to John O'Groats, with his piano travelling in a van. His recital for the Swaledale Festival is part of this epic voyage. Free; no need to book.

Cellophony - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
The extraordinary sound of eight cellos, in the superb acoustic of St Andrew's, with a rich and dramatic classical programme. £15/£3.

Walsh and Pound (harmonica and banjo) - Buck Hotel, Reeth, 23:00
Late-night virtuosity from two thrilling musicians. Will Pound is a Radio 2 'Folk Musician of the Year' nominee. £6.

20 MAY
Ian McMillan and Tony Husband - Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, 19:30
A Cartoon History of Here; a fast-flowing adventure in which two top Yorkshire funny-men reflect upon local stories, legends, rivers and romance. £15/£5.

The Brodsky Quartet - St Mary's Church, Richmond, 20:00
One of the world's top quartets returns to the Swaledale Festival, with works by Szymanski and Ravel, and with cellist Sophie Harris joiningin  for Schubert's glorious Quintet in C. £16/£3

21 MAY
Graham Caskie Piano Masterclass - St Mary's Church, Arkengarthdale, 13:00
Five talented local players receive professional guidance from a top concert pianist. Of value to anyone wanting to learn how to appreciate performance. £8/£3

Graham Caskie (piano) - St Mary's Church, Arkengarthdale, 17:00
Last heard in a Swaledale Festival performance of Debussy's Préludes, Graham Caskie has a style that will suit the intimate space of St Mary's. £8/£3.

Reeth Brass - Music from the Musicals - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
Following last year’s packed Swaledale Festival concert of movie themes, Reeth Brass plays a selection of music from popular West End and Broadway musicals. £6/£3.

The Brodsky Quartet - St Gregory's Church, Bedale, 20:00
In tonight's event, audience members choose the programme and interview the quartet. A wonderful chance to get close to a major ensemble. £16/£3.

22 MAY
The Sophie Harris Trio - St Mary's Church, Arkengarthdale, 17:00
A concert of exquisite, mainly contemporary small-scale works, with a meditative feel, led by Sophie Harris, previously of the ground-breaking Smith Quartet. £8/£3.

The Tim Kliphuis Trio - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
Fabulous Dutch jazz violinist, widely seen as the inheritor of the Stéphane Grappelli tradition, brings his high-energy trio to the Swaledale Festival. £12/£3.

23 MAY
Rosalind Ventris (viola) - Holy Trinity Church, Wensley, 17:00
A young star in the making brings her mellow instrument to the beautiful old Holy Trinity Church. £8/£3.

The Swale Singers - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
Always popular, the lively Swaledale choir performs Parry's rousing I was Glad and Mozart's Mass in C Minor. £8/£3.

24 MAY
The Lightning Thieves - Gunnerside Methodist Church, Gunnerside, 17:00
Always popular Swaledale Festival visitors with ZUM and London Concertante, David Gordon (harpsichord) and Adam Summerhayes (electric violin) now come as a duo, with a crackling blend of Celtic and Balkan melodies. £8/£3.

Kadialy Kouyate - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 19:30
Internationally acclaimed kora player and his band, Sound Archive, bring hot West African beats to Grinton Church. £12/£3.

25 MAY
Magdalena Filipczak (violin) and Viktor Bijelovic (piano) - St Mary's Church, Arkengarthdale, 17:00
Award-winning young artists, who were very well received in a 2011 performance at Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal. £8/£3.

Skipton Camerata - St Oswald's Church, Askrigg, 19:30
Professional Yorkshire-based orchestra, formed of players 'moonlighting' from their jobs with The Hallé, Opera North and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras. £12/£3.

Muker Silver Band - Muker Public Hall, Muker, 20:00
A perennial Swaledale Festival favourite, this long-established band from the upper dale. £6/£3.

26 MAY
Puppetcraft Performance - Circle of Tales - Reeth Green, Reeth, 14:00
An African myth, told with superb puppetry and live music. Lovely family entertainment. £6/£3.

Jean Kelly (harp) - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 17:00
Harp recitals have been a very popular feature of the Swaledale Festival. Irish harpist Jean Kelly is spellbinding on classical, folk medieval and wire-strung harps. £8/£3.

Hawes Silver Prize Brass Band; Melodies from Yorkshire - St Margaret's Church, Hawes, 20:00
The popular band from Upper Wensleydale presents Yorkshire tunes including the Pennine Way March and hymn tunes such as Muker and Thwaite. £6/£3.

The Royal Holloway Choir, with Acoustic Triangle - St Mary's Church, Richmond, 20:00
Works by Purcell, Rutter and the world première of a new Swaledale Festival commission from Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, in the presence of the composer. A fabulous choir, accompanied by a trio which is a Festival favourite. £16/£3.

27 MAY
The Gough Duo (violin and church organ) - Holy Trinity Church, Low Row, 17:00
Celebrating the return of the newly-renovated organ at Holy Trinity, the Swaledale Festival welcomes the only violin and organ duo regularly touring internationally. £8/£3.

Richmond School Theatre Company - Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, 19:00
Rattigan's Flare Path and Brecht's Arturo Ui in an irresistible double bill from a talented young company. £6/£3.

Art and Film Music of Richard Rodney Bennett - The Station, Richmond, 20:30

A conversation with Artist in Residence Sir Richard Rodney Bennett; a screening of The Return of the Soldier (PG) for which he wrote the score; and a private viewing of his strikingly colourful collages. £20/£6.

28 MAY
The Reeth Lecture: Carenza Lewis - Digging on your Doorstep - Reeth Methodist Church, Reeth, 13:00
Dr Carenza Lewis, of Cambridge University's Department of Archaeology, and well known from Channel 4's Time Team, presents new findings about the development of rural English settlements. £10/£3.

Corona Melodica - St Matthew's Church, Stalling Busk, 17:00
A journey through the richly tapestried sound-world of Renaissance Europe with a four-piece period-instrument ensemble. £8/£3

Muker Silver Band - Muker Public Hall, Muker, 20:00
A repeat of the 25 May recital. £6/£3.

Claire Martin and Richard Rodney Bennett: Songs of Harold Arlen - St Mary and St Alkelda's Church, Middleham, 20:00
Jazz vocalist Claire Martin OBE, with  Sir Richard Rodney Bennett at the piano, celebrates the great American songwriter Harold Arlen (Over the Rainbow, That Old Black Magic, Get Happy, It's Only a Paper Moon...). £16/£3

29 MAY
M. R. Peacocke Poetry Reading - Gunnerside Methodist Church, Gunnerside, 14:00
An informal reading by the much-awarded poet, at which some members of the audience will also be able to read their own works. £8/£3.

Jonathan Dormand (cello) - St Mary's Church, Muker, 17:00
Award-winning Yorkshire-born cellist plays a varied programme of works from a Bach Suite to Catalan dances. £8/£3.

The King's Singers; a Diamond Jubilee celebration - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
The famous choristers celebrate the Royal Jubilee with a lively selection of songs and madrigals by Henry VIII, Gibbons, Dowland, Parry, Elgar and Britten. £18/£3.

30 MAY
Corona Melodica - Keld United Reformed Church, Keld, 17:00
A journey through the richly tapestried sound-world of Renaissance Europe with a four-piece period-instrument ensemble. A repeat of the 28 May recital. £8/£3

European Union Chamber Orchestra - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 19:30
Four gems from the chamber-music canon, by Bach, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. £16/£3

Leyburn Band - St Matthew's Church, Leyburn, 20:00
George Lundberg directs Leyburn Band on its home turf in a concert of rousing brass-band music. £6/£3.

31 MAY
A Swaledale Tale, by Sheep Pen Productions - CB Inn, Arkengarthdale, 14:30
The life and times of Kitty - a fictional Dales character - set in a café and illuminated with local songs and poetry. £6/£3.

Nick Wilkinson (Flamenco guitar) - St Michael and All Angels' Church, Spennithorne, 17:00
Trained by Paco Peña, Nick Wilkinson was one of the surprises of last year's Swaledale Festival, and it is a pleasure to welcome him back. £8/£3.

Patricia Hammond (mezzo-soprano), Stephen Anthony Brown (tenor), Michael Brough (piano) - St Mary and St Alkelda's Church, Middleham, 20:00
Patricia Hammond and Michael Brough captivated Swaledale Festival audiences in 2011; now they return with another Brough première and songs by Schubert, Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams and Elgar. £12/£3

1 JUNE
The Hut People - St Matthew's Church, Leyburn, 17:00
Accordionist Sam and percussionist Gary make their fourth Swaledale Festival appearance in as many years. Foot-tapping folk music, guaranteed to get a lively audience. £8/£3.

The Galeazzi Ensemble - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
Classical and early Romantic chamber music by Haydn, Beethoven and Jadin, performed on period instruments. £12/£3.

Kyla Brox - Buck Hotel, Reeth, 23:00
Powerful late-night blues and soulful ballads, accompanied by dynamic guitarist Danny Blomeley - worth staying up for. £6.

2 JUNE
Fourum - Buck Hotel, Reeth, 14:30
Fourum are at the heart of the folksong tradition in the Northern Dales. They return to the Swaledale Festival with  new songs to add to their ballads which capture the legends and characters of the area. £8/£3

The Robson Piano Duo - St Mary and St Alkelda's Church, Middleham, 17:00
Identical twin brothers with astonishing musical empathy perform Liszt, Ravel and Beethoven. £8/£3.

Birth of the Baroque; the Northern Early Music Collective - St Andrew's Church, Grinton, 20:00
A new early-music ensemble of top-quality soloists, in a colourful exploration of 17th-century Italian vocal and instrumental music. £16/£3.

3 JUNE
Keep - Richmond Castle, Richmond, 21:00
Innovative theatre company Slung Low promises an enthralling and involving twilight adventure in the setting of Richmond's castle keep. Free with reserved ticket.