By Peter Bevan

IT IS a pleasure to report that Harrogate International Festivals, incidentally celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, moves into the 22nd series of Sunday concerts this weekend.

Popularly known as coffee concerts, the full-length recitals take place at 11am in the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate, and are known for showcasing the finest classical music from around the world.

This year’s programme is framed by two prize-winners from the Leeds International Piano Competition and includes the internationally renowned clarinettist Emma Johnson.

Sunwook Kim, whose programme comprises Bach’s Partita No. 2, Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata and Mussorgsky’s Pictures From an Exhibition, was only 18 when he won the Leeds Competition in 2006.

In a recent interview with Ann Chadwick, he said: “For me, Leeds was a stepping stone…after the competition I had a lot of engagements around Yorkshire”.

Now living in London, he added: “When I go up North…I feel I’m going back home”.

On February 8 one of Britain’s finest string quartets, the Badke Quartet, offers a programme ranging from Haydn’s final quartet, Op. 77, No. 2, to Stravinsky’s challenging Three Pieces in their original version, via Schubert’s Quartet in A minor, D.804, Rosamunde.

Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, known for both musicianship and brilliance, joins American pianist Robert Kulek on March 1 in a programme including one of Schumann’s late chamber works, the Violin Sonata No. 2, and Janacek’s highly concentrated Sonata as well as one by Mendelssohn.

Now regarded as “Britain’s favourite clarinettist”, and indeed well-established on the international scene, Emma Johnson gave her first recitals here as a Young Musician.

“It’s a huge delight to return to Harrogate,” she said. “The Sunday Series allows audiences to experience the world’s brightest talents and it’s helped shape and safeguard our musical landscape and heritage."

For her recital on March 29, accompanied by Finghin Collins, she will perform transposed duets by Beethoven, Bernstein, Dvorak and Ravel as well as clarinet sonatas by Brahms (No. 1) and Poulenc.

Closing the series on April 12 is the 2012 Leeds International Piano Competition winner, Federico Colli, in a particularly interesting programme.

One of Mozart’s finest sets of Variations on a theme by Gluck, K.455 will be followed by Schumann’s Faschinsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26, and the 24 Preludes, Op. 11, by Scriabin.

Series subscriptions are available at £76 and £69 and individual tickets are £17 and £15.50 with 30 per cent concessions; box office 01423 562 303 and full details at harrogateinternationalfestivals.com.

It’s worth mentioning that the Wesley Centre in Harrogate is continuing Monday lunchtime recitals which begin at 1pm and last about an hour. The season began with memorable performances by pianist Cédric Tiberghien and bass-baritone Stephan Loges accompanied by Simon Lepper, both before Wigmore Hall recitals.

The next recital on February 2 is a programme of French song by baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Michael Cleaver including music by Fauré, Poulenc, Honegger and others.

On March 2, pianist Jill Crossland will play Bach, Mozart and Chopin, and on April 13, pianist Alisdair Hogarth performs Mendelssohn, Smetana and Rachmaninov.

Students from Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester will perform on May 11. The artist for June 1 has yet to be confirmed.

In what is becoming a regular feature there will be a jazz concert on July 6 given by Richard Wetherall’s Trio.

The final celebrity concert is on Monday, July 27, at 7.30pm, when one of the centre’s most popular choices, Stephen Hough, recently described as “a pianist with virtuosity to spare” returns to play Schubert, Franck, Debussy and Liszt.

Admission is £6 at the door; arrangements for Stephen Hough have yet to be announced.