The Kirker Music Festival, Ischia

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ISCHIA

A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 11 OCTOBER 2023

Our annual visit to the beautiful and verdant island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples is a highlight in the Kirker calendar. Each year we travel with a group of distinguished musicians who play in a series of private concerts exclusively for our guests in the music room at La Mortella. Sir William Walton and his wife Susana lived here for many years. Lady Walton created what is today one of the world’s most famous gardens. Today La Mortella is a foundation, expertly managed by Alessandra Vinciguerra and her devoted team who ensure that the Walton’s legacy thrives today.

the itinerary

There will be an included half day tour of Ischia, a private tour of La Mortella in the company of the gardeners and a visit to a winery for to taste their local Ischitano wines and produce. During our visit to La Mortella, we will learn how the garden was created by the celebrated garden designer, Russell Page and how Lady Walton’s ideas and foresight inspired the garden’s creation and how her own creativity developed the garden right up until her death in 2010. There will be an optional tour to Naples where we will enjoy a walking tour and a guided visit to the Teatro San Carlo, one of Italy’s most historic and beautiful opera houses.

MUSIC PROGRAMME

All but one of the concerts included in the tour are private recitals for Kirker clients and are held in the Sala di Musica at La Mortella. There will one additional concert given as part of La Mortella’s own series of public concerts for young musicians given throughout the summer. Transfers are provided for each concert between the hotel and La Mortella. The programme will include quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Britten, Brahms and work by the Pulitzer Prize winner, Caroline Shaw, Frank Bridge and Dvorak. Thomas Kelly will include works by Chopin, Debussy, Rameau and Liszt and others.

TOUR INFORMATION

DEPARTURE DATE & PRICES

DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 11 October £2,920 £392

Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy as shown. Supplement for Side sea view: £220; Front sea view: £340 Superior park view: £340; Superior sea view: £520

FLIGHT DETAILS

Flights with British Airways: Depart from London Heathrow 10.10, arrive Naples 13.55 Depart from Naples 14.45, arrive London Heathrow 16.40 Flight times subject to change – regional departures available on request.

WHAT WE INCLUDE

• Return flights • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Seven dinners • Six private concerts as well as one concert given by the Walton Trust • All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities as described • Private guided tour of La Mortella garden • Services of the Kirker Tour Leader

the hotel

Our base for the week is the 4* Hotel Tritone, located right on the Bay of San Francesco. The hotel is family owned and surrounded by beautiful gardens overlooking the sea. There are two bars, a restaurant, sun terraces and a luxurious spa offering a wide range of treatments. There are a number of indoor and outdoor swimming pools and guests have direct access to the beach from the pools. Within a few minutes’ walk are a number of restaurants and cafés, and the centre of Forio is about twenty minutes’ walk along the beach. There you will find the historic old town with shops, restaurants and cafés such as Maria’s Bar, a favourite of W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Hydrofoil services operate to Ischia Porto, Naples and Procida from Forio port. For those who might want to make additional visits to La Mortella, you can walk up the hill from behind the hotel which leads steeply up to the gardens. Descending is easier and affords a panoramic vista. Bedrooms are simply furnished but comfortable, and we can recommend upgrading to superior rooms overlooking the gardens or the sea. Please ask for details.

THE MUSICIANS

The Maxwell String Quartet was internationally recognised after winning First Prize in the 9th Trondheim Chamber Music Competition in 2017. They very soon started to appear in leading chamber music venues throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, with performances in Copenhagen, Stavanger and Amsterdam. The quartet is comprised of players who grew up together and who played both classical music and Scottish folk music across Scotland. Thomas Kelly, piano, Thomas Kelly was born in 1998 and won many prizes from a very early age. He studied with Andrew Ball at the Royal College of Music where he now studies with Dmitri Alexeev. He reached the final five (of more than 60 contestants) in the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, a huge personal success which has established him as one of the country’s most important pianists. Thomas took part with great personal success in the Kirker Lake Como Music Festival giving solo recitals and performing with the Karski Quartet. They will be joined by a leading singer and accompanist; further details will be announced on our website.