York Early Music Festival
Encyclopedia
The York Early Music Festival is an English
arts festival
devoted mainly to classical music from the 18th century and earlier. It was established in 1977, and takes place in York
each July at various venues such as York Minster
, the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at the University of York
and the National Centre for Early Music
. In 2008, events also took place at Harewood House
and the National Railway Museum
.
Artists who have appeared in the festival include
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
arts festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
devoted mainly to classical music from the 18th century and earlier. It was established in 1977, and takes place in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
each July at various venues such as York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
, the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and the National Centre for Early Music
National Centre for Early Music
The National Centre for Early Music is an educational resource located in York, England. It is based in the converted and extended medieval church of St Margaret, Walmgate....
. In 2008, events also took place at Harewood House
Harewood House
Harewood House is a country house located in Harewood , near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of Treasure Houses of England, a marketing consortium for nine of the foremost stately homes in England...
and the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
.
Artists who have appeared in the festival include
- Robin BlazeRobin Blaze- Childhood and education :The son of a professional golfer Peter, Robin Blaze grew up in Shadwell, near Leeds and was educated at Leeds Grammar School, Uppingham School, and Magdalen College, Oxford....
- The Ebor SingersThe Ebor SingersThe Ebor Singers was formed in 1995 by music students at the University of York.The group is directed by Dr Paul Gameson.The choir sings its regular concert series in York Minster and, since 1997, has frequently performed in the York Early Music Festival and toured in Britain and Europe.The group...
- Emma KirkbyEmma KirkbyDame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, DBE is an English soprano singer and one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. She attended Sherborne School For Girls in Dorset and was a classics student at Somerville College, Oxford, and an English teacher before developing a career as a soloist...
- Ex CathedraEx CathedraEx Cathedra is a British choir and early music ensemble based in Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. It performs choral music spanning the 15th to 21st centuries, and regularly commissions new works....
- I FagioliniI FagioliniI Fagiolini is a British vocal ensemble specialising in early music and contemporary music. Founded by Robert Hollingworth at Oxford in 1986, the group won the UK Early Music Network’s Young Artists’ Competition in 1988 and a Royal Philharmonic Society Award in 2006...
- Mahan EsfahaniMahan EsfahaniMahan Esfahani is an Iranian-American keyboardist; he is the first harpsichordist named as a BBC New Generation Artist. As a concerto soloist, recitalist, and collaborative musician, he has gained an international reputation on a variety of early keyboards.- Biography :Born in 1984 in Tehran,...
- Giles LewinGiles LewinGiles Lewin is a British violinist and bagpiper.He was born in Essex in 1960 or slightly earlier. Aged nine, he sang the female lead in Mozart's "Bastien et Bastienne". At Cambridge University he acquired a love of Irish traditional music. His admiration for William Lawes led him to join a group...
- Monica HuggettMonica HuggettMonica Huggett is a British conductor and leading baroque violinist.-Biography:At the age of 16, Huggett started studying at the Royal Academy of Music, London, with Manoug Parikian and Kato Havas, baroque violin with Sigiswald Kuijken.She co-founded and served as leader of the Amsterdam Baroque...
- Josetxu ObregonJosetxu Obregon-Biography:After developing a career as a modern cellist, having been appointed teacher of Madrid Royal Conservatory and cellist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, Josetxu Obregón oriented his life towards the early performance field...
- The Orchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentThe Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and has its headquarters at Kings Place...
- Rachel PodgerRachel PodgerRachel Podger is an English violinist specialising in the performance of baroque music. She often conducts baroque orchestras from the violin, and in 2004 took up a guest directorship with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, having previously been leader of The English Concert from 1997 to...
- Jordi SavallJordi SavallJordi Savall i Bernadet is a Catalan viol player, conductor and composer. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for bringing the viol back to life on the stage...
- The SixteenThe SixteenThe Sixteen are a choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers in 1979.The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century...
- Hopkinson SmithHopkinson SmithHopkinson Smith is an American lutenist.Born in New York, he graduated from Harvard with Honors in Music...