Maxwell Quartet & Alasdair Beatson

Pittville Pump Room

£30, £26, £18

Maxwell Quartet

Alasdair Beatson piano

James MacMillan We Are Collective (Cheltenham Music Festival co-commission)

Maxwell Quartet Gather (Folk music from Scotland)

Eleanor Alberga String Quartet No. 2

César Franck Piano Quintet in F minor

Praised for their ‘superb storytelling’ (The Strad ), the Maxwell Quartet are joined by pianist Alasdair Beatson for a new commission for piano quintet by James MacMillan. Rounding out the programme is Eleanor Alberga’s vivacious second quartet, Franck’s explosive quintet and the Maxwell Quartet’s own arrangements of lilting traditional melodies.

Kindly supported by Mary Mackenzie, Richard Walton and Friends

The Carice Singers

Cheltenham College Chapel

£20

The Carice Singers

George Parris director

A Prayer of Peace and Light

Ralph Vaughan Williams A Prayer to the Father of Heaven

Galina Grigorjeva ‘O gladsome light’ from Vespers

Arvo Pärt Nunc Dimittis

Valentyn Silvestrov Prayer for the Ukraine

György Ligeti Lux aeterna

Soosan Lolavar New work (world premiere)

Jonathan Harvey Plainsongs for Peace and Light

William Byrd O lux Beata Trinitas

The Carice Singers return to Cheltenham in a summer sequence inspired by light and luminosity. Fast making a name for themselves among the UK’s next generation, the vocal ensemble journeys through music from Vaughan Williams at his most mystical to one of Byrd’s radiant motets. Among moments of hope and stillness are works by Arvo Pärt and two Ukrainian composers - Galina Grigorjeva and Valentyn Silvestrov - a new piece by British-Iranian composer Soosan Lolavar and Ligeti’s extraordinary Lux aeterna, in honour of his 100th anniversary.

Soosan Lolavar’s new work is commissioned through the RPS Composer Programme

Kindly supported by Diana Woolley

Byrdwatching

A musical tour of historic Cheltenham drawing rooms

£40 including a post-concert reception

Please be aware that this event is not wheelchair accessible

Musicians from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Venture on an exclusive tour of Cheltenham’s beautiful, historic drawing rooms in a series of intimate performances. Inspired by the 400th anniversary of English Renaissance composer William Byrd, discover mournful melodies and playful pieces from Byrd and his contemporaries before journeying on to more extraordinary musical surprises, including a newly commissioned work from Aileen Sweeney