LOVE will be in the air at the Whittington Music Festival next month with a special concert set to turn the air red.

The festival, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, May 17-21, will be celebrating the best of love, friendship and admiration with an event on Saturday, May 20.

A spokesman for the event said that it was borne out of a number of players this year all having well-established friendships, including artistic director Sophia Rahman and Rebecca Gilliver, principal cellist of the London Symphony Orchestra.

They met while students at the Yehudi Menuhin School and have often played together since those early days.

Sophia met violinist Kathrine Hunka only slightly later in the lift at the Royal Academy of Music.

She said: “There was a culture in London of not speaking to or making eye contact with strangers, but for some reason Katherine and I chose to break this unwritten rule.

“I’m very glad we did as we’ve been firm friends ever since.”

Katherine went on to become the leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, based in Limerick, Ireland being a part of the world where friendliness towards strangers is considered quite normal.

OTHER NEWS:

Music lovers can hear the three friends play together on Saturday, May 20 in Mendelssohn’s ‘sublime’ D minor piano Trio, in a programme containing Clara Schumann’s Romances.

The Schumanns were friendly with Felix Mendelssohn and his sister and it is thought that Clara Schumann intended to dedicate her own piano trio to Fanny Mendelssohn.

The programme is completed with two song items on the theme of love. Jeremy Sams’ English translation of Die Schöne Müllerin (Fair Maid of the Mill), with its iconic music by Schubert, and to begin with a gorgeous short work by Reynaldo Hahn, À Chloris.

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A spokesman for the Festival added: “This delectable combination of words and music will be sung by local rising star Kizzy Lumley-Edwards.

“The divine Schubert will be sung by established star Roderick Williams, who, speaking of the happiness of kings, will be joining us fresh from his solo appearance at the coronation just 10 days before the festival.”

Tickets are available from Rowanthorn and Whittington Post Office and online https://www.whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/booking-information/

Anyone under the age of 26 is admitted free of charge to all the festival concerts but will need to book a ticket in advance.