Rising Stars At Sledmere

An exciting new recital series welcomes the future stars of the classical music and opera world
to perform in the splendour of Sledmere House in Yorkshire

Three lunchtime recitals in the spring (27 April, 12 and 25 May) will showcase the talents of musicians from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, as well as two former Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artists

Music has long played a significant role in the history of the British country house, be it private performances, musical patronage, as well as the influence of music upon the design of many houses, with rooms dedicated to the art of music-making. But more importantly is the role that music plays in the hospitality of a historic house.

Sledmere House in Yorkshire, home to the Sykes family, is set to bring the tradition of music-making back within its walls with an exciting new series of lunchtime recitals. Presenting three concerts in the spring of 2024, followed by two concerts in the autumn and a special Christmas celebration, ‘RISING STARS at SLEDMERE’ will bring the future stars of the classical music world to “God’s own Country” to perform in this magnificent family home. The splendour of The Library in Sledmere House will provide a platform for musicians on the cusp of their careers, with one particular “rising star” being selected to perform for three consecutive years, thereby enabling audiences to witness their versatility and artistic development.

The author and photographer Christopher Sykes, who was raised at Sledmere House, states:
“Our family are thrilled to be showcasing the work of these remarkable young musicians, each one of whom is blessed with a talent that will one day see them performing in major concert halls all over the world. We however are lucky enough to be able to see them at the start of their careers, playing in the breath-taking beauty of the Sledmere Library, one of the finest rooms in England. The combination of this setting and their extraordinary musicianship means that audiences are in for a series of very special concerts.”

The series starts on Saturday 27 April with a recital by the talented and charismatic 21-year-old British/American violinist, Theo Elwes, accompanied by award-winning Japanese pianist Kumi Matsuo. Currently studying at the Royal College of Music, Theo has performed throughout the UK, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and Kings Place, as well as internationally, in Spain, Italy, Iceland, Russia, Finland and America. The duo will perform an Eastern European-inspired programme opening with Bela Bartók’s charming Romanian Folk Dances, a suite of six short pieces based on Romanian tunes from Transylvania and among the Hungarian composer’s most popular works. This is followed by Ernest Bloch’s Violin and Piano Sonata no. 1, an expressive and romantic piece requiring great technical skill from the violinist, and ends with Mieczysław Weinberg’s plaintive and dazzling Moldavian Rhapsody No. 3.

Theo has been selected as the first “rising star” of the series and will return to Sledmere House in the autumn as well as in 2025 and 2026, ensuring him a continued platform to showcase his ongoing progress as a musician. Theo is the great, great grandson of the tenor Gervase Elwes (1866-1921) in whose memory the Help Musicians fund (formerly Musicians’ Benevolent Fund) was originally established following his premature death in a railroad accident in 1921.

The second recital, on Sunday 12 May, is given by The Avalon Trio, comprising three exceptional young British students from the Royal Academy of Music – Benji Lock (piano), Louis Solon (violin) and Sebastian Williams (cello). The trio was formed whilst its members were all pupils at the Purcell School where they were awarded the Contemporary Music Prize. They will be performing two works, the first written at the beginning of one composer’s career, the second in the last year of the other composer’s life: Rachmaninov’s Trio Elegiaque No. 1 written when the composer was only 19 years old, and unusual in that it is in just one rather than the usual three or four movements, and Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1, an unusually large scale work taking around 40 minutes in total to perform.

For the third recital, soprano Alexandra Lowe and pianist Patrick Milne, both former members of the highly prestigious Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, perform excerpts from their recent CD Le Voyage. Their programme focuses on music from the French ‘Romantic’ song repertoire, with text inspired by Greece, the Middle East and Alexandra’s country of birth, Spain. Highlights include Ravel’s Cinq mélodies populaires grecques performed in Greek, Debussy’s Chansons de Bilitis, Bizet’s fiery Ouvre ton coeur, and an uplifting pairing of two songs by Pauline Viardot, Les filles de Cadix and ‘Madrid’.

SATURDAY 27 APRIL, 12noon
THEO ELWES (violin), KUMI MATSUO (piano)
Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Ernest Bloch: Violin and Piano Sonata No. 1
Mieczysław Weinberg: Moldavian Rhapsody No. 3

SUNDAY 12 MAY, 12noon
THE AVALON TRIO - BENJI LOCK (piano), LOUIS SOLON (violin), SEBASTIAN WILLIAMS (cello)
Sergei Rachmaninov: Trio Elegiaque No. 1
Franz Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1

SATURDAY 25 MAY, 12 noon
ALEXANDRA LOWE (soprano), PATRICK MILNE (piano)
Maurice Ravel: Shéhérazade, Asie, La flûte enchantée, L’indifférent
Georges Bizet: Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe
Maurice Ravel: Cinq mélodies populaires grecques
Claude Debussy: Chansons de Bilitis
Georges Bizet: Ouvre ton Coeur
Pauline Viardot: Les filles de Cadix, Madrid


TICKETS: £45 (to include lunch and entry to the parkland, gardens and farm park)
Ticket office: 01377 455198, info@sledmerehouse.com
Sledmere House, Sledmere, Driffield, Yorkshire YO25 3XG
www.sledmerehouse.com