Leamington Music Festival to celebrate area's global stars

Kineton resident Roderick Williams will sing at the festival

The baritone Roderick Williams, who lives in Kineton, will perform in two concerts at the Pump Room. He will sing Schubert’s great cycle Die schöne Müllerin on Sunday April 30, and will perform Howard Skempton’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and on Monday May 1.

The composer Howard Skempton has lived in Leamington for some 30 years. He celebrates his 70th birthday in October, and the Leamington Music Festival Weekend includes a new work to mark the occasion called Dedication written for Benjamin Nabarro (violin) and Gemma Rosefield (cello), and the Clarinet Quintet, which was premiered in Warwick in the festival20 years ago, and which will be played by Jack McNeill with the Gildas String Quartet on May 2.

The festival promises an array of musical delights. tThe Doric and Jubilee Quartets come together in the opening concert for Mendelssohn’s Octet on Friday April 28, and William Howard joins the Dante Quartet for Franck’s Piano Quintet in the final concert on Tuesday 2 May,

Works by Leamington composer Howard Skempton will be performed at the festival

Other concerts are given by the soprano Dame Felicity Lott and clarinettist Michael Collins, Raphael Wallfisch on cello and John York on piano, and the Kinsky Piano Trio.

The annual Warwickshire Music concert takes place on the afternoon of Saturday April 29, involving the cream of the county’s youth. And on the afternoon of Sunday April 30 April there is a Family Concert given by the Leonore Piano Trio and narrator Esther Sheridan.

Tickets for all these concerts are on sale at www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk or call 01926 334418. See www.leamingtonmusic.org for full details.