This July, York Early Music Pageant celebrates its fiftieth version, operating from 3 to 11 July 2026 below the title Past Borders, and that includes among the UK’s most extraordinary medieval church buildings, historic buildings and the world-famous Minster.
To mark this special day has commissioned the majestic York Fanfare, Flourish at 50 to be performed in the course of the opening weekend. The fanfare has been created by composer Sam Meredith and can be performed by the all feminine German ensemble [hanse] Pfeyffery. Wakefield born Meredith was finalist within the 2023 NCEM Younger Composers Award, Meredith was chosen from a powerful line up of candidates, all alumni from the Younger Composers Award, to be this yr’s Fee Composer for the York Early Music Pageant.
The York Fanfare will open this yr’s pageant on Friday 3 July exterior The Sir Jack Lyons Live performance Corridor on the College of York at 6.20pm earlier than the opening live performance by I Fagiolini, and likewise exterior York Minster earlier than the live performance by The Sixteen on Saturday 4 July at 6.45pm, 7.00pm, and seven.15pm.
The pageant opens with Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers offered by I Fagiolini with the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble and closes with Solomon’s Knot in Bruhns’s St Mark Ardour. Additionally showing are: The Sixteen; B’Rock Orchestra & Vocal Consort; Imago Mundi; Paul Agnew, Helen Charlston with Sergio Bucheli and Steven Devine. The pageant additionally marks John Dowland’s four-hundredth anniversary with Dowland Day, an entire day dedicated to his works together with concert events by lutenist Thomas Dunford; the Rose Consort of Viols; and Flanders primarily based Imago Mundi, directed by Sofie Vanden Eynde.
This yr options two younger European ensembles Anacronía from Spain, and the Franco/American medievalists Contre le temps, together with the York Worldwide Younger Artists Competitors with finalists I Mastricelli; Il Parrasio; La Mandorle; Lagrime; Nari Baroque Ensemble; Ossian’s Dream; Quarterino; The Lyons Mouth; and Tra Noi.
Full particulars from the pageant web site.
