Chester Music composers set for season of festivals

As the days are getting longer and the sunshine begins to reappear, the countdown to festival season is in full swing. Once summer arrives until the end of September, hardly a week will go by when there is not some form of art or music event taking place somewhere around the country.
And there are plenty of opportunities to hear works from the Music Sales catalogue at festivals across the UK.
Opening the season, the Norfolk & Norwich festival is due to take place from May 6th until May 21st and will be a celebration of the arts in the region co-commissioned in 2009 by the festival, Little Ceremonial by John Tavener will receive its UK premiere on May 7th at the festival’s opening concert.
This will be followed by the Sounds New festival on May 20th to May 29th which will host a number of composers and new work.
Ugis Praulins, Kaija Saariaho, Hans Abrahamsen, Niels Marthinsen, Bent Sorensen, Per Norgard and Magnus Lindberg are all due to perform at the event, which takes place in and around Canterbury.
Salisbury International Arts Festival (May 20th-June 4th) is also welcoming John Tavener for a special performance featuring a sound and light installation outside the cathedral. A concert of this work will take place on May 28th in the nave of the cathedral, performed by the same groups that gave the premiere and first recording.
Elsewhere, the Bath Festival (May 25th-June 5th) line up includes Natalie Clein playing Thrinos by John Tavener and the world premiere of a new work by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
Work by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Witold Lutoslawski, Igor Stravinsky will also be performed at the festival.
The St Magnus Festival (June 17th -23rd) is Orkney’s annual celebration of the arts. Founded in 1977 by Orkney’s resident composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Festival has grown from small beginnings into one of Britain’s most highly regarded and adventurous arts events.
Work by Barber and festival founder Sir Maxwell Davies is due to be on show over the course of the week.