A free pop-up gig will take place in central Harrogate this week as musician Mike Lovatt takes to the streets
The renowned trumpeter will be accompanied by local brass players to form a marching band through the centre of town.
The event will include his first live performance of Eclipse, written by award-winning composer David Lancaster at the beginning of the covid pandemic.
Dr Lancaster was commissioned by Harrogate International Festivals and wrote the piece in just five days. It premiered online in July 2020, with Mike Lovatt performing a solo.
Now, he will bring the performance to the streets of Harrogate, beginning at the war memorial at 7.45pm on Thursday.
Mr Lovatt, who has performed with artists including Shirley Bassey, Robbie Williams and Tony Bennett, will be premiering his new Brass Pack live at Harrogate Theatre on Friday as part of Harrogate Music Festival.
He will then be hosting free workshops for brass players over the weekend, saying:
“Festivals like this bring communities together.”
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Julian Lloyd Webber among big names set for Harrogate Music Festival
Harrogate International Festivals has announced early programme highlights for this year’s music festival, including a performance from Julian Lloyd Webber.
The festival, which is now in its 58th year, will host a variety of names in the industry across three weekends this summer, with an opening concert at The Royal Hall.
It celebrates music of all kinds and showcases a range of talent from young musicians to globally acclaimed artists.
British orchestra Chineke! will launch the festival, making their Harrogate debut. Chineke have performed at the Proms, as well as accompanying world-renowned rapper Stormzy on stage at the Brit Awards.
That weekend, Julian Llloyd Webber will be making a post-pandemic homecoming, while “festival legends” Oddsocks return to the event with an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:
“I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are about this year’s Music Festival.
“It is our first full programme post-pandemic with a host of international names performing in some of Harrogate’s most beautiful buildings.
“We look forward to welcoming our audiences back to one of our flagship festivals this summer”.
Pianist Robin Green
Pianist Robin Green will be this year’s guest curator, and will head a weekend residency featuring 12 musicians in ten concerts.
The third and final weekend will feature trumpeter Mike Lovatt, premiering his brand-new project, the Brass Pack. There will also be a silent disco for children and a family festival.
The opening concert will take place on Thursday, June 29.
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Oz Clarke and the Armonico Consort toast music with ‘Gin & Phonic’
A top wine critic and broadcaster is set to team up with a choir and instrumental ensemble to explore the relationship between music and gin.
Held in association with Harrogate’s Slingsby Gin, the event will see Oz Clarke and the Armonico Consort investigate the highs and lows of the connection between gin, music, and humans over the centuries.
Gin and Phonic will take place in The Spiegeltent, in Crescent Gardens, Harrogate, on the evening of Monday, July 4, as part of the Harrogate Music Festival.
Slingsby Gin will be providing two free gin tastings for each audience member, which can be sipped whilst listening to the music of Purcell, Handel and Dowland.
Whilst William Slingsby discovered the unique properties of the natural spring water from Harrogate’s Tewit Well in 1571, more than 40 years later Slingsby Gin captured the ‘Spirit of Harrogate’, synonymous with its beautiful and restorative nature, in a variety of different gins.
Tickets cost £28 and are available here or by calling the Harrogate International Festivals box office on 01423 562303.
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