Events
Spring Festival 2026
Day One
Toll Gavel United Church
Afternoon concert
Bach #1
Bach: Cello Suite No 1
The opening notes of Bach’s radiant G major Cello Suite are some of the most recognisable of all time: an uplifting opening to our Bach journey, and the whole festival.
“Deeply felt and beautifully wrought interpretations” (International Record Review on Jonathan Aasgaard)
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello)
Rush-hour concert
To the Distant Beloved
Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte | Schumann: Violin Sonata No 1 in A minor | Franz Strauss: Nocturno | Richard Strauss: Heimliche; Aufforderung; Morgen; Cäcilie; Allerseelen | Schubert: Auf dem Strom
British-Indian tenor Caspar Singh – who featured in the Opening Night of the BBC Proms last summer – makes his first visit to New Paths. Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte, cited as the first ever song cycle, is full of love, nature and springtime – and was the first piece in our first ever New Paths festival concert back in 2016!
It was Robert Schumann who coined the phrase ‘New Paths’ (describing the forward-looking music of Johannes Brahms); Schumann’s Violin Sonata in A minor is tempestuous and effusive, and features much-loved New Paths artist Alexandra Caldon.
Music by two generations of the Strauss family sets Franz Strauss’ lyrical Nocturno – played by renowned horn player Richard Watkins – alongside songs by Richard Strauss. Schubert’s night-time star-gazing love song Auf dem Strom completes the lineup.
Caspar Singh (tenor) | Alexandra Caldon (violin) | Richard Watkins (horn) | Libby Burgess (piano)
Evening concert
Before Life and After
Britten: Winter Words | Strauss: Notturno | Trad. arr. Britten: Oft in the stilly night; O Waly, waly; The Crocodile | Fuchs: Sonata Pastorale | Beach: Piano Quintet
Music by Britten forms the centrepiece of this concert, marking the fiftieth anniversary of his death. Winter Words – sung by Caspar Singh – sets poems by Hardy: in vivid rural characters ranging from the curious baby to the beloved choirmaster or the convict with a violin, we question how the world works, and what it means to be a fleeting part of something vast.
We return to Strauss, whose epic Notturno features baritone Marcus Farnsworth, violinist Martyn Jackson and pianist Libby Burgess. This ghostly, brooding monodrama tells of a vision in a dream: Death appears in the shape of a much-loved friend, in the depth of night, playing a violin.
Britten set his first folksongs crossing the Atlantic, and these are heard alongside music from America: the richly romantic Piano Quintet by Amy Beach combines muscular virtuosity with soaring lyricism, and one of the most meltingly romantic slow movements in existence.
Caspar Singh (tenor) | Marcus Farnsworth (baritone) | Hannah Dawson (violin) | Martyn Jackson (violin) | Rosalind Ventris (viola) | Cara Berridge (cello) | Libby Burgess (piano)
Talk
In discussion: Bach Cello Suites
A chance to hear star cellist Jonathan Aasgaard discuss the Bach cello suites, which he is playing across the festival, prior to this morning’s performance.
Morning concert
Bach #2
Bach: Cello Suite No 2 in D minor
Jonathan Aasgaard continues his journey through the cello suites of JS Bach with the introspective Suite No 2 in D minor: a thoughtful start to the day.
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello)
Morning concert
The Ancient Mariner
Skempton: Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Beverley’s maritime past inspires this morning performance, drawing us into the haunting atmosphere of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The iconic poem introduces us to a sailor compelled to tell and retell the story of a terrible voyage in his youth – the story of someone who does something awful for reasons unknown, and pays for it. The Mariner breaks unspoken rules and kills the Albatross; he and his shipmates are cursed, dying of thirst despite the ‘water, water everywhere’ around them.
Brought vividly to life through the music of Howard Skempton, the story is told by renowned baritone Marcus Farnsworth, who joins an ensemble of New Paths artists on a journey of hypnotic seas, obsessive memory and suspense.
Marcus Farnsworth (baritone) | Alexandra Caldon (violin) | Hannah Dawson (violin) | Cara Berridge (cello) | Alexander Jones (double bass) | Richard Watkins (horn) | Richard Pinel (piano)
Music from the Courts of Medieval France
Songs and Sanctuary
Lonesome lovers. Beguiling songsters. Provocative nightingales. Friends at play. These are a few of the characters you will encounter in this programme of songs from the courts of 12th-century France. Performing in different spaces around Beverley Minster, the eyes of the medieval carved minstrels upon them, our singers and narrator unfold how medieval songs were the ultimate medium of sanctuary – a theme resonant with Beverley’s history and the Minster itself.
Singers from Siglo de Oro lead the audience on a journey around this spectacular building, just as the medieval trouvères themselves were itinerant. Then as now, they form joyful and creative connections among song-makers, performers and audiences, near and far.
The programme is connected to the UKRI-funded project, ‘Musical Lives: Towards an Historical Anthropology of French Song 1100-1300’, hosted at King’s College London. This project is led, and the research introduced today, by Beverley-born Professor Emma Dillon, Thurston Dart Professor of Music (Medieval Music and Cultures) at King’s.
Emma Dillon (speaker) | Hannah Ely (soprano) | Fiona Fraser (soprano) | Rebekah Nießer-Jones (mezzo soprano) | Jonathan Pratt (bass) | Patrick Allies (director)
Afternoon concert
The Art of Music
Devienne: Bassoon Quartet in G minor | MacMillan: Memento | Mendelssohn: String Quartet No 3 in D
After a number of years, we’re delighted to return to Beverley’s Edwardian Art Gallery for an afternoon of chamber music. Situated in the Champney Treasure House, the gallery’s permanent collection includes works by local artists Fred and Mary Elwell, as well as ‘A Panic’ by Henry Davis – the world’s largest cattle painting!
The elegant Quartet in G minor for bassoon and strings by François Devienne – contemporary of Mozart and Haydn – stars fabulous bassoonist Emily Hultmark. The haunting music of Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan has held a special place in New Paths concerts: his Memento was written in memory of a friend, and is inspired by Gaelic laments.
Written the year he began composing his violin concerto, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No 3 in D was written with the same violinist in mind – Ferdinand David. As might be expected, the quartet features an exuberant first-violin part, and shimmers throughout with passionate, sunny energy.
Please note: this venue is of an intimate scale, and therefore this concert is likely to sell out quickly. Early booking recommended.
Emily Hultmark (bassoon) | Hannah Dawson (violin) | Martyn Jackson (violin) | Cara Berridge (cello)
Evening concert
Winterreise-Weltreise
Schubert: Der Wegweiser | Shlonsky: On the Great Road | Schubert: Der stürmische Morgen | Schubert: Der Leiermann | Güran: Yarını Bekleyen Köy | Zerikly: Ma Ihtiyali Ya Rifaqi | Schubert: Die Krähe | Schubert: Der Lindenbaum | Estevez: Arrunango | Ginastera: La mañana | Gonzaga: Lua Branca | Schubert: Täuschung | Schubert: Rückblick | Uzoigwe: Eriri Ngeringe | Euba: Mo le J’Iyanyo | Euba: Mo ja’we gbegbe | Schubert: Gefrorne Tränen | Schubert: Das Wirtshaus | Bhatia: Jhara jhara | Schubert: Irrlicht | Nakada: Cherry Alley | Kim: Because you are here | Schubert: Gute Nacht
Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise – the psychological journey of a lonely man through the frozen landscape – is often called the story of a universal ‘everyman’. Researcher Natasha Loges shows that, in fact, the music and narrative are entirely rooted in nineteenth-century Vienna – and so has set out to create an alternative journey of music that truly is global.
The result is an astonishing array of songs from all corners of the earth, interspersing the more familiar Schubert songs with those from Argentina, Turkey, Nigeria, Japan and beyond. Many of these are from composers who are highly regarded in their own countries, but whose lyrical, evocative music has rarely made it to the UK.
Hailed as ‘one of the world’s great Lieder singers’ (The ArtsDesk), baritone Stephan Loges takes on the dazzling challenge of singing in upwards of a dozen languages in one programme – and in so doing, finds resonances that reflect the unchanging preoccupations of human beings worldwide. He is joined by pianist Libby Burgess, and the music and project will be introduced by Natasha Loges, Professor of Musicology at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg.
Stephan Loges (baritone) | Libby Burgess (piano) | Natasha Loges (speaker)
Late-night concert
Bach #3
Bach: Cello Suite No 3 in C
For centuries people have known the restorative benefits of meditation and reflection before bedtime. What better way to do this during a music festival than by sitting with the profound music of JS Bach, in the historic spiritual space of St Mary’s Church?
Cellist Jonathan Aasgaard continues his survey of the Bach solo cello suites with the joyful third suite, in C major.
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello)
Organ event
Dame Gillian Weir Messiaen Prize
Our ongoing partnership with the superb organ department at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire sees them once again bring the crème de la crème of their organ students to the festival, for the final of the Dame Gillian Weir Messiaen Prize.
Three conservatoire students compete in front of a distinguished panel of experts and our festival audience for this year’s award: each plays a 20-minute programme, to include music by Olivier Messiaen, on the mighty Snetzler organ of Beverley Minster. Form your own opinions and see whether your judgement lines up with that of the experts!
The panel this year will be chaired by Andrew McCrea, Director of Studies at the Royal College of Organists; he will be joined by distinguished organists and trailblazing educators Cathy Lamb and Tom Bell. Refreshments will be available during the panel’s deliberation.
Why not stay on afterwards for soup lunch and our free lunchtime concert?
Family event
Babies & toddlers
We believe that music is for everyone, and our free concerts for pre-schoolers and their grown-ups are a very special chance to hear live music up close! From dreamy tunes to lively dancing and even some joining-in singing, this mid-morning concert is a fun-filled introduction to different instruments, moods and stories – all in a relaxed environment.
Laughing, crying, feeding, changing, moving around all welcome!
Entry is free but we recommend you reserve a place in advance.
Lunchtime concert
Passacaglia
Schubert: Sonatensatz | Beach: Dreaming | Handel/Halvorssen: Passacaglia | Rachmaninoff: Andante from Cello Sonata | Shostakovich: Pieces for Two Violins
New Paths returns to Beverley Minster’s regular Friday lunchtime concert series, with a mixed programme featuring violinists Hannah Dawson and Alexandra Caldon, cellist Jonathan Aasgaard, and Artistic Director pianist Libby Burgess.
From the elegance of Schubert’s Sonatensatz trio, via the heart-on-sleeve passion of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Amy Beach, to the virtuosity of Halvorsen’s transcription of Handel’s Passacaglia, this is a delightful musical smorgasbord in stunning surroundings.
Soup and drinks will be available to buy from 11:45am, provided by students from the East Riding College.
Alexandra Caldon (violin) | Hannah Dawson (violin) | Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) | Libby Burgess (piano)
Afternoon concert
Bach #4
Bach: Cello Suite No 4 in Eb
The fourth of Bach’s cello suites, in Eb major, is often described as enigmatic. Philosophical, contemplative and exploratory, sunny in places, and thoughtful in others, this is a distinct step along Jonathan Aasgaard’s festival-wide journey through the suites.
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello)
Afternoon concert
Appassionata
Beethoven: Grande Sonate Pathetique in C minor Op 13 | Schumann: Arabesque | Debussy: Children’s Corner | Debussy: Arabesque No 1 | Schumann: Kinderszenen Op 15 | Beethoven: Sonata in F minor Op 57 ‘Appassionata’
Globally renowned pianist Martin Roscoe is Associate Artist at New Paths, honouring his longstanding musical relationship with Beverley, and for this solo recital he presents a beautiful palindromic programme.
Martin’s recordings of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas have received unanimous critical acclaim, and two of the most famous – Pathetique and Appassionata – frame this concert. The ‘filling’ of the musical sandwich comprises pieces by Schumann and Debussy: the experiences and memories of childhood are explored in their Kinderszenen and Children’s Corner, while Arabesques from each composer complete the line-up.
Praised for his ‘utterly faultless playing’ and ‘stylish élan’ (Gramophone Magazine), Martin has had an extraordinary career across more than five decades, including over 600 broadcasts, seven BBC Proms appearances, and a huge discography. We are delighted to welcome him back to New Paths.
Martin Roscoe (piano)
Evening concert
The Human Voice
Poulenc: La Voix humaine
The weightiness of heartbreak takes centre stage in Poulenc’s dark one-act opera for soprano, La Voix humaine – based on a play of the same name by Jean Cocteau. A woman, Elle, is alone in her apartment, on the phone to her ex-lover, who now loves someone else. She cycles through flirtation, nostalgia, anger and desperation, all captured in Poulenc’s luscious and theatrical music. As the action unfolds we learn details of their relationship and recent break-up, and the lengths Elle will go to to end her misery.
Fêted soprano Claire Booth – who grew up in the East Riding – has been widely acclaimed for her ‘radiant, rapturous, wonderfully nuanced performances’ (The Scotsman), and is a leading proponent of 20th and 21st century music. Poulenc’s original orchestral score is recreated at the piano by her regular duo partner, celebrated pianist Christopher Glynn.
Please be aware that this piece includes reference to suicide.
Claire Booth (soprano) | Christopher Glynn (piano)
Late-night concert
The End of Time
Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Written in a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War – first performed in a harsh winter, using makeshift instruments – Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time should by rights be filled with sorrow and anger. Yet what shines through this luminous music is deep faith: this is writing of intense serenity and radiant hope, painting vivid visions of heaven and eternity.
Messiaen was a passionate ornithologist and his music is also filled with birdsong, imitated by violin (Sophie Rosa), cello (Jonathan Aasgaard), clarinet (John Slack) and piano (Libby Burgess).
Beverley Minster is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular medieval buildings in the country, and is especially atmospheric at night. With the performance taking place appropriately beside the war memorial chapels, this is sure to be a special way to hear one of the most powerful pieces of music from the entire 20th century.
John Slack (clarinet) | Sophie Rosa (violin) | Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) | Libby Burgess (piano)
Join us for a whole day of music celebrating Beverley as a musical town! Beverley’s musical heritage stretches back through the centuries, and its vibrant living tradition enriches the lives of townspeople and visitors today. Our musical merry-go-round draws together New Paths artists, professionals with local connections, community groups, and the next generation of performers, all making music in concerts and pop-ups right across the town. Most events are free – come to one or come to all!
St Mary’s magnificent bellringers ring in the day.
The New Paths Voyagers – outstanding young musicians from the region who have taken part in a programme of coachings and workshops this year – give a performance of ensembles and solos.
Successful local pianist Amy Butler brings her regular duo partner, violinist Boglárka György, to Beverley: they play Debussy’s Violin Sonata and Frolov’s Concert Fantasy on Themes from Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess.
Spot live music taking place in the Market Cross on market day.
Drop into Beverley’s historic Guildhall to catch some more live music.
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring caused a riot when it premiered in Paris in 1913. A shocking, visceral dance score like no other, its pumping rhythms and clashing harmony are just as dramatic in the composer’s piano duet version – performed by pianists Chris Hopkins and Libby Burgess.
Beverley’s beloved Community Choir serenades us into lunch with a mixed programme of popular classics.
Join other festivalgoers for a Ploughman’s lunch in the Minster’s Parish Hall.
New Paths’ Founder Roland Deller and Artistic Director Libby Burgess look back on the first decade of New Paths Music – memories, challenges and highlights!
Hear live music in this beautiful corner of the building.
Bach: Cello Suite No 5 in C minor
In his festival-wide journey through the Bach cello suites, Jonathan Aasgaard reaches the darkest of the set, No 5 in C minor: a profound musical experience in this evocative setting.
Hear live music in this unusual setting. Owing to the historic nature of this venue, we regret there is no step-free access to the first floor performance space (the Temple).
Beethoven: Septet
A stellar team of New Paths artists comes together to perform Beethoven’s great Septet for winds and strings – a highlight of the Classical serenade and divertimento tradition, treasured for its sublime slow movement and sparkling energy.
Sophie Rosa (violin) | Rosie Ventris (viola) | Cara Berridge (cello) | Alexander Jones (double bass) | John Slack (clarinet) | Richard Watkins (horn) | Emily Hultmark (bassoon)
The choirs of Beverley Minster and St Mary’s come together for this special service of Choral Evensong: on the celebratory musical menu are Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens, Vaughan Williams’ Let all the world, and Stanford in A.
Swap your audience seat for a place in the thick of the action at our Saturday night dancing extravaganza. We are thrilled to welcome back to New Paths the magnificent ceilidh band Triple Scotch, who were a highlight of our 2018 festival. This talented trio comprises award-winning folk musicians who have performed with Lady Gaga, taken traditional Scottish music as far afield as Russia and New Zealand, and are one of the UK’s most in-demand ceilidh bands. Their toe-tapping music is of an unbeatable standard, and their friendly, clear caller will explain each dance. Fun for all ages and all levels (or none!) of experience.
Doors will be open from 7:30pm, and the bar will be open all evening. Dust off your dancing shoes and come ready to jig!
Brunch drinks
Unplugged
This informal, brunchtime performance has become a much-loved part of the New Paths programme in recent years! Join some of the New Paths artists as they jam music from baroque to folk in the quirky medieval room Upstairs at the Monks – the thriving live music space at one of the oldest pubs in Beverley. Buy a drink from Gill and the team at the bar downstairs, and head up to join us for a lighthearted Sunday session.
Please note: This performance is not included in the cost of a festival pass: please buy separate tickets to this event. Owing to the historic nature of this venue we regret there is no step-free access to the first floor performance space.
Double Bill 1
The Lark Ascending
Vaughan Williams: Four Poems by Fredegond Shove | Clarke: Binnorie | Clarke: Midsummer Moon | Howells: King David | Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending | Dring: The Enchantment; Take o Take; It was a lover | Porter arr. Dring: In the Still of the Night
Storytelling and landscape rub shoulders in this afternoon concert of English music, featuring star mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately and outstanding violinist Sophie Rosa.
Vaughan Williams’ perennial favourite The Lark Ascending captures a moment of pure, transcendent stillness, the soaring violin line evoking the timeless beauty of an English landscape. Songs by Vaughan Williams sit alongside: his settings of poetry by Fredegond Shove paint rural vignettes ranging from the Water Mill to an unsettling encounter with A New Ghost.
Central to the programme is music by Rebecca Clarke, whose work has rightfully been celebrated in recent years for its vivid, evocative language and spellbinding atmosphere. Binnorie is an intense ballad based on a dark Scottish folk tale of sibling rivalry gone wrong (‘The Twa Sisters’), while Midsummer Moon is full of hazy harmonic colours, infused with hints of folksong.
Songs by Herbert Howells, Madeleine Dring and Cole Porter complete the billing.
Our final afternoon takes the form of a Double Bill: why not come to both parts and join us for refreshments in between?
Kitty Whately (mezzo-soprano) | Sophie Rosa (violin) | Libby Burgess (piano)
Double Bill 2
Festival Finale
Bach: Cello Suite No 6 in D | Handel arr. Beyer: Largo from Trio Sonata in G Minor | Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No 1 in D minor
Although Johann Sebastian Bach is now revered as a composer of unparalleled genius and influence, his music was largely neglected after his lifetime, known only to a handful of specialists. It was Felix Mendelssohn who spearheaded the revival of Bach’s music: his admiration for Bach and efforts to bring his works to a broader audience were a vital step in the growing recognition of the brilliance of this music.
These two composers sit side by side for our final performance. Jonathan Aasgaard completes his multi-day, multi-venue journey through the solo cello suites with the elating, joyous Suite in D major. Brimming with passionate energy and romantic beauty, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor – performed by Sophie Rosa, Cara Berridge and Libby Burgess – is a thrilling way to close this year’s festival.
Sophie Rosa (violin) | Jonathan Aasgaard (cello), Cara Berridge (cello), Libby Burgess (piano)
