MORE than 40 classical musicians will play at nine churches across the North York Moors National Park in a late summer festival focusing on music reflecting triumph over adversity.

Now in its 11th year, the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival takes place from August 11 to 24, and brings worldclass musicians to perform in the National Park, staging music themed around A Journey into Light.

“This year, we’ve been inspired by recent events marking the end of the First World War,” said Jamie Walton, founder and artistic director . “We’ve chosen music that will take our audiences on a powerful emotional journey with a transformational release at the end of each concert.

“For the first time, we’re focusing very much on a specific emotion – yet we also want our audiences to leave these concerts feeling uplifted.”

The nine concerts will feature music by composers such as JS Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Buxtehude, Fauré, Mozart, Pärt, Schubert, Schumann, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Strauss.

Musicians performing this year include festival regulars such as Oculi Ensemble violinist Charlotte Scott; Grammy-nominated recording artist and founder of the Homecoming Chamber Music Festival in Moscow, violinist Roman Mints; Swiss violinist Rachel Kolly d’Alba; international pianist Katya Apekisheva, and English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and English Touring Opera mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley, who was born and brought up in Yarm.

New to the festival this year are Swiss pianist Christian Chamorel; David Pipe, cathedral organist in the Diocese of Leeds; Italian cellist Claude Frochaux, and pianist Richard Ormrod, who is reuniting with Jamie Walton for the first time since the pair left Wells Cathedral School.

The North York Moors Chamber Music Festival takes place in churches at Danby, Lythe, Pickering, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Whitby, Boosbeck, Fylingdales and Egton Bridge.

The Sunday afternoon concert at St Hilda’s, Danby, on August 18 is only an hour long, and will be followed by an afternoon tea to raise funds for church funds. It’s set to be a festival highlight with the music of solo Bach for violin.

Tickets for each concert are £12.50, and free for under-30s. A season ticket for all nine concerts costs £100. To book, email bookings@northyorkmoorsfestival.com, call 07722 038990 or visit www.northyorkmoorsfestival.com.