By Peter Bevan

CLASSICAL music in County Durham, in addition to concerts at Bishop Auckland – reported on last week – includes The Life and Music of George Gershwin this evening in the Witham's Master Musicians series at Barnard Castle.

Pianist Viv McLean and actress Susan Porrett will present an intriguing mix of his music ranging from Rhapsody in Blue to Variations on I Got Rhythm.

Unfortunately this concert clashes with Bishop Auckland’s Jennifer Pike recital. McLean returns for a solo recital on Friday, May 20, in a programme including Bach’s Goldberg Variations as well as Chopin and Liszt.

Future Witham concerts include pianists Dmitry Rachmanov in an all-Russian programme (Wednesday, June 10) and Mami Shikimori playing Beethoven and Chopin (Wednesday, July 8). Details at thewitham.org.uk or 01833 631107.

English Touring Opera’s visit to the Gala Theatre in Durham in May brings two contrasting operas.

The company is flying high at the moment having won the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

In Durham they will perform the ever popular La Bohème on Monday, May 18, perhaps one of the best introductions to opera, full of memorable songs and emotion.

The following day (May 19) is the less familiar, but just as dramatic The Siege of Calais by Donizetti, which has been acclaimed as one of ETO’s greatest achievements with a production which “packs an emotional punch”.

Both operas are sung in their original Italian with English surtitles. Details at galadurham.co.uk or 03000 266600.

Full details of music events in Durham Cathedral are not yet to hand but will include a performance of Dvorak’s Stabat Mater by Durham Choral Society on Saturday, May 9.

Details of this are at durhamchoralsociety.org.uk with tickets available from the Gala box office at the number above.

There will be another chamber music recital in the Chapter House on Tuesday, May 26, as part of the annual Northern Chords Festival which will include Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins as well as works by Handel and Vivaldi.

Details for this are sagegateshead.com or 0191 443 4661.

Musicon, Durham University’s Music Society, presents its final concert in the Music School on Palace Green near the cathedral on Tuesday, April 28, when the renowned Brodsky Quartet will play works by Webern, Schubert and Zemlinsky.

Tickets are available from the Music School, telephone 01913 343140; details at durham.ac.uk/musiconconcerts.

Finally it’s worth mentioning that Ushaw College in Durham now has a wider classical programme which has included a resident string quartet and vocal performances.

The quarterly brochure to the end of this month lists an organ recital by Tom Downes at 2.30pm on Saturday, April 18, and on Saturday the following week at 7.30pm a performance by Renaissance, a group of singers who specialize in Renaissance polyphony and 20th/21st century contemporary music.

The brochure seems to be making its way into libraries, but details are also available at ushaw.org or telephone 07421 035240.