Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival launches 2023 programme

Florence Lockheart
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

This year’s festival will run from 28 September – 1 October and is centred around the theme of family

'Community is at the heart of this musical gathering.’ Festival director Guy Johnston has curated this year's festival with a focus on the theme of family ©Ben Wright
'Community is at the heart of this musical gathering.’ Festival director Guy Johnston has curated this year's festival with a focus on the theme of family ©Ben Wright

Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival has revealed the programme for its upcoming 2023 edition. Running from 28 September –1 October at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, the festival aims to explore family connections through a broad range of works including two world premieres by Robin Holloway and Joseph Phibbs.

Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury, whose family have owned the house since it was built in the early 1600s. The Festival presents concerts in the House’s striking Marble Hall, and in Hatfield park’s Old Palace for the Finale Concert.

Johnston said: ‘Following on from last year’s theme, A World of Music, this year we celebrate A Family Affair. As the planning developed, family connections began to emerge starting with the home of the Salisburys, whose family join together during the Festival weekend, and reaching out to the wider Festival family amongst the audience, musicians and even works being performed. Community is at the heart of this musical gathering.’

The festival is curated by artistic director and cellist Guy Johnston, who opens this year’s programme with a talk examining the family theme with writer Stephen Johnson and pianist Tom Poster. Poster and his wife, violinist Elena Urioste, will then join forces with Orsino Winds and horn player Ben Goldscheider to present the festival’s first concert.

The festival family theme is evident in the range of musicians set to perform. Johnston will collaborate with his brother, violinist Magnus Johnston, in a concert with Poster and Goldscheider on 29 September, and Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason will be at the festival in conversation with Gillian Johnston for a talk exploring The Invisible Force Behind a Musical Family. Soprano Sophie Bevan and tenor Dominic Bevan will join forces with their uncle, baritone Benjamin Bevan, plus the Orion Orchestra and Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival Youth Choir for a performance of Haydn’s Creation to close the festival.