East Neuk Festival: Beyond Borders
East Neuk Festival was founded in 2004 to present world class music in the beautiful surroundings of the East Neuk of Fife. Twice awarded the RPS Award for Audience Development, it is widely acclaimed as adventurous, imaginative, intimate, informal and excellent. ENF is grateful for the support of Creative Scotland and Fife Council. Wigmore Hall, one of the world’s great concert halls, specialises in chamber and instrumental music, early music and song. Having recently celebrated its 115th Birthday, Wigmore Hall is livelier than ever, offering music-making of outstanding quality and an array of activities in the broader community. With its infectious sense of adventure, it consistently captures the public imagination and broadens its audiences’ horizons. Great Music in Irish Houses, Ireland’s longest-established chamber music festival, was founded in Castletown House in 1970. It is a non-profit making organisation and depends on the support of sponsors and Friends to continue its work into the future.
Huw Watkins is Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music. His orchestral works include the Violin Concerto for Alina Abragimova, and two commissions from the LSO, London Concerto (2005) and the Flute Concerto (2013). His longstanding relationship with BBC National Orchestra has resulted in a Piano Concerto (2015); Double Concerto; Cello Concerto and Spring (2017) for orchestra commissioned by BBC Radio 3. In 2017, the Hallé Orchestra premiered Watkins’ Symphony. Chamber music includes his solo violin Partita (2006) for Alina Ibragimova and the viola Fantasy (2006) for Lawrence Power. The Nash Ensemble commissioned a Horn Trio. Upcoming works include Four Fables (2018) for clarinet and piano trio which premieres at Three Choirs Festival, and tours throughout the UK. Watkins’ vocal works include In my craft or sullen art (2007) for Mark Padmore and the Petersen Quartet and Five Larkin Songs (2009-10) for soprano and piano, which won a British Composer Award. Music Theatre Wales commissioned two chamber operas: Crime Fiction (2008) followed by In the Locked Room (2011-12), a co-commission with Scottish Opera which received a new production at Staatsoper Hamburg in 2015 and at the Royal College of Music in July 2018.