SWALEDALE Festival has announced highlights for this year's event which runs from May 27 to June 10.

Popular performers include John Williams, whose two previous visits to the festival have sold out, one of which was with John Etheridge who also returns along with Gary Ryan making his first appearance at the event. The three guitarists plan a special concert of solos, duets and trios.

Others to watch out for include Stephen Hough, Red Priest, London Mozart Players performing in Bedale, the vocal group VOCES8, Fidelio Trio, Albion String Quartet, Jess Gillam and Anthony Hewitt.

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra, The Unthanks, Urban Folk Quartet, Northern Monkey Brass Band and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, reigning BBC Young Musician of the Year, are also lined up.

Notable music includes Songs of the Dales, a specially written suite by composer Adrian Rickard and Wensleydale poet Ann Pilling, performed by the Behn Quartet and Friends from the Royal Academy of Music at St Alkelda’s Church in Middleham. The concert also features Dvorak’s American’ Quartet.

St Oswald's Church, Askrigg, is the venue for Bammental Grammar School Symphony Orchestra, which numbers 55 teenagers from Germany performing excerpts by Mozart, Wagner, Grieg and Piazzolla.

Reeth Community Orchard is the setting for A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Handlebards Outdoor Theatre company, and the Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, hosts a 300th anniversary performance of "the world's first ballet" – The Loves of Mars and Venus, featuring actors, baroque dancers, splendid costumes and an ensemble performing music by Lully and Purcell.

This year's Reeth Lecture will be given by pianist, composer and broadcast personality David Owen Norris debating What's the Point of Classical Music?

The full list will be on the festival website by the end of January and the brochure is mailed out in February.

The festival runs an angels scheme under which people donate money to support an event of their choice. Subscribers receive acknowledgement in the brochure and benefits such as complimentary tickets and programmes.

Another source of income comes from the Friends who in return receive benefits including a three-week priority booking period from March 6 to 26. Details of both can be seen on the website.