By Peter Bevan

THE new year may have just started but organisers of the Northern Aldborough Festival have already settled most of the details for this summer’s event.

Running from June 11-20, there will be the usual mix of recitals by established and up-and-coming young musicians, another opera, an illustrated talk and even a celebrity cricket match.

Most concerts will be given in St. Andrew’s Church in Aldborough with others, including some not yet decided, in chapels and homes around that area.

The festival will open on Thursday evening, June 11, in St Andrew’s Church with a recital by one of the most eminent of British pianists, Imogen Cooper. Praised for her poise and sensibility, she will play music by Chopin, Schubert and Schumann.

There will also be an opportunity to hear two outstanding young pianists, Ashley Wass and Richard Uttley, in accompanying roles.

On June 15, Wass will appear at St. Andrew’s with viola player Maxim Rysanov, who made a major impact at the 2010 Last Night of the Proms.

Playing a “lush-toned” 1780 Guadagnini viola, Rysanov has already received rave reviews. Their programme will include Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata and Shostakovich’s moving viola sonata, his very last work.

The following morning (11am, venue to be confirmed), pianist Uttley will join fellow Yorkshireman, the violinist William Dutton who was a string finalist in last year’s BBC Young Musician of the Year. Another attractive programme includes Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8, Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 and works by Brahms and Rimsky Korsakov.

Other young musicians appearing include the Yorkshire-born flautist Hannah Black who recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with the highest awards. Accompanied by harpist Inbar Vernia, she will play on June 17 at 11am (venue to be decided) and the Kaleidoscope Saxophone Quartet, described as “one of the best of the emergent guard” also give a morning recital on June 19 at Farnley Hall, Otley.

Opera will be well represented with two performances including one of the first external engagements by the recently formed Opera North Children’s Chorus.

Conducted by Justin Doyle, well known on the Northern Festival circuit, they will perform a music theatre piece based on Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant incorporating some of Handel’s best loved arias (3pm, June 14, St Andrew’s Church).

The tradition of including an opera performance (usually with an extended picnic break in the interval) continues with Charles Court Opera’s production of Puccini’s Tosca, including the moving Vissi d’Arte, in St Andrew’s Church on June 19.

There will be more singing from the newly-formed Myrthen Ensemble, four singers and a piano, who have been described as a Who’s Who of young British musical talent. It will be their first appearance not only in the festival but anywhere in the North (June 16, St Andrew’s).

As usual for Aldborough, jazz is not forgotten and this time two award-winning musicians, trumpeter Guy Barker and singer/pianist Ian Shaw will present their Evening at the Movies. With both musicians in their prime and completely at ease with each other, this will be an entertaining and amusing evening (June 12, The Old Hall, North Deighton).

Then, on June 18, in St Andrew’s, Martha D Lewis and Eve Polycarpou will present Rembetika and Beyond – “a journey into the Greek Blues” which is a celebration of music from the 1920s to the 1950 and beyond.

In a new feature for the festival, historian Tom Holland, author of Rubicon and In The Shadow of the Sword, and presenter of Radio 4’s Making History, will give a talk (June 12, 11am, St Andrew’s) on Isurium – better known as Roman Aldborough.

Holland’s other great love is cricket and his talk will be followed by a match between his Author’s XI and a Festival XI. As yet, there are no details on the players.

The festival ends as usual with the Last Night Outdoor Concert in the grounds of Aldborough Manor with picnics welcome and fireworks provided (June 20).