Shipley Arts Festival is offering an expanded programme for 2022

The festival managed to keep going throughout the lockdowns, impressively switching online – and they will be looking to build on many of their online innovations. But this will be the year the audiences come back.

Festival director Andrew M Bernardi is confident that audiences will have the confidence to return.

The opening concert of the 2022 season is on Saturday, March 26 at the Malden Family Theatre, Windlesham House School with performances for 6pm with a Nyetimber interval followed by repeat performance at 8pm with Trinity Laban’s String Ensemble preceded by String Academy.

Trinity Laban’s String Ensemble presents a reimagined, choreographed performances of Vivaldi’s masterpiece The Four Seasons alongside Hollie Harding’s immersive Melting, Shifting Liquid World, for electric viola and string ensemble.

On Sunday, May 1 for 6.30pm at Shipley Parish Church, the Bernardi Music Group and String Academy offer: Malcolm Singer ‘Eli Eli’ written for String Academy; Paul Lewis commission: Shipley Concerto for violin and strings; 1. Cremona 1696 2. Shipley Idyll 3. Chinese Adventure; John Ireland Toccata from the Concertino Pastorale

On Saturday, May 14 for 7pm for Horsham Festival, the festival offers Horsham Music Circle’s 80th anniversary concert at St Mary’s Parish Church 7pm with a concert from the Kanneh-Masons.

“We are delighted to welcome five siblings from this incredibly talented family.

“The concert will feature Braimah violin, Konya piano, Jeneba piano, Aminata violin and Mariatu cello playing separately and together in works by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Bach, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Coleridge Taylor, Brahms and Bridge.”

Next up is Leonardslee Spring Sounds, the Bernardi Music Group residency from May 18-22 and from 25-29: a floating classical orchestra staged on the Leonardslee Lakes with music including Spem In Alium on an electric viola devised by Nic Pendlebury together with choreographed performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending and movements from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

On Sunday, May 29 at 2.30pm in Warnham Park House, Bernardi Music Group perform Schubert’s Trout Quintet.

Also coming up on Sunday, June 19 for 6.30pm at Knepp Castle is The Wilding Concert. The Stradivarius Piano Trio will perform music to include Schubert’s Trout Quintet and Shipley Arts Festival Wilding commission, Knepp Piano Trio by Roderick Williams accompanied by Nyetimber .

On Saturday, June 11, on the first day of the Festival of Chichester, on Chichester Cathedral green, Bernardi Music Group will perform movements from Beethoven Symphony No 6, The Pastorale and Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence (the opening gala runs from 2-4pm).

And then, also for the Festival of Chichester, on Friday, June 17 for 7.30pm at Christ’s Church, Chichester, the Stradivarius Piano Trio will offer a celebration of chamber music, the local climate, our community and Vaughan Williams in his 150th year.

Then on Wednesday, June 22 for 7.30pm at Sedgwick Park, the festival stages the world premiere of Roderick Williams’ 2022 Shipley Arts Festival. The Stradivarius Piano Trio and celebrated baritone Roderick Williams will perform Knepp Piano Trio complete and sing songs including Sea Feve’ by John Ireland who rests in the parish church of Shipley.

On Sunday, June 26 at 6pm at Findon Place and Church Bernardi Music Group perform music to reflect the Wilding Corridor.

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