PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS 2021

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Tickets on sale to Deer Friends from April 12 and to the general public April 19

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The Artistic Directors and Trustees of Hertfordshire Festival of Music are delighted to announce this year’s festival, which takes place from 4th to 10th of June. Postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, HFoM 2021 is particularly special as for many people it will be the first time they have enjoyed live music in over a year.

 

Now in its fifth edition, the Hertfordshire Festival of Music has grown rapidly from a small weekend event to a major summer celebration of classical music, based in and around the attractive historic county town of Hertford.

 

An established part of the summer classical music calendar, under the direction and vision of co-Artistic Directors conductor Tom Hammond and composer James Francis Brown HFoM is now one of the UK’s major music festivals, featuring international artists and ensembles alongside innovative outreach and educational projects.

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With the exception of the Chloë Hanslip Masterclass, all of our venues are accessible to anyone with mobility issues. We would encourage any patrons who use wheelchairs to contact is in advance of the event to ensure we cater for your precise needs, please e-mail

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This event preview page is intended to help you plan your visit to the Festival, where we have planned performances and events with the safety of our audiences and artists very much in mind. We will be releasing detailed Covid security guidelines when our online box office opens in mid-April.

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To give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy our performances, several events will be repeated. This is to enable social distancing and to allow for adequate venue cleaning between events. There will also be occasions when two different concerts are presented on the same day. In order to distinguish these events, repeated programmes will be listed as ‘Performance 1' and 'Performance 2’; and concerts with different programmes are listed as ‘Programme 1 and Programme 2’. You may book for both performances/programmes but space will be limited, so EARLY BOOKING is ADVISED.

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HFoM regrets that for the 2021 Festival the complication caused by only being able to sell tickets in 'bubbles' means we cannot offer many ticket concessions. We have reduced ticket prices where possible to accommodate this. Fortunately, we are still able to offer a number of free events. We very much hope that this will be a unique year and our normal ticket policies will resume from 2022. 

EVENT 1

ALBION STRING QUARTET

 

Friday 4 June,  6.30pm - c. 7.30pm/8.30pm - c. 9.30pm

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“The playing, by the excellent Albion, is masterly in its vividness, freedom and sensitivity" - David Cairns, Sunday Times

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HFoM takes great pride in Haydn’s local connection and in our first performance in 2021 we present a seminal work from the great inventor of the string quartet. Featured Living Composer Judith Weir’s fascinating quartet from 1990 can be heard in both programmes and one of William Walton’s most vibrant and exciting works completes the second programme.

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Hertford St. Andrew's Church, St Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1HZ (MAP)

 

Tickets: £19.50

Price includes booking fees

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EVENT 2

HISTORIC WALK AROUND HERTFORD, IN COLLABORATION WITH HERTFORD TOWN AND TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE

 

Saturday 5 June, 2.00pm - c. 3.30pm

 

Look back at a millennium of the rich and eventful history of Hertford on this guided walk. Learn about the siege at Hertford castle, the Tudor palace and meet some historic Hertford residents.

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Tour commences from The White Hart public house, at 2.00pm sharp

The White Hart: 13, Salisbury Square, Town Centre, Hertford SG14 1BW (MAP)

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Tickets: £7 per person. 

Tickets available via Town & Tourist Information Centre (TTIC):

By phone - 01992 584322, in person at TTIC (open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30am – 5:00pm): 10-12 The Wash, Hertford SG14 1PX

You may also enquire by email to: tic@hertford.gov.uk

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Space is limited to 24, so early booking is advised.

It is advisable to wear appropriate and comfortable footwear and take extra care on occasionally narrow roads.

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EVENT 3

RELAXED REHEARSAL WITH HFoM FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA 

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Saturday 5 June, 12.00pm - c.12.45pm

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Families with very young children, and people who may ordinarily not be able to observe the traditional ‘silence’ when attending live music events, are welcomed to watch and hear a professional orchestra at work. Noise may be made!

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All Saints’ Church, Queens Road, Hertford SG13 8AY (MAP)

 

FREE EVENT - donations welcome

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Tom Hammond - conductor/presenter

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Capacity will be limited to 75 at any one time due to Covid-19 restrictions.

EVENT 4

FAIRYTALE STORIES - HANSEL AND GRETEL / THE SNOW QUEEN

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Saturday 5 June, 1.30pm - c. 2.30pm /4.00pm - c. 5.00pm

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The Wheels on Debussy and Matthew Sharp are proud to present Hansel and Gretel and The Snow Queen - a one-man musical, story-telling show for children 3+ and their families.

 

Join us for a feast of fairytales with beloved stories, bewitching music and the once in a lifetime chance to help our heroes and heroines along the way.

Written and performed by 'extraordinary cellist, virile baritone, compelling actor, Matthew Sharp' (The Daily Telegraph) - 'virtuoso of the arts' (The Times)

 

Hertford St Andrew’s Church, St Andrew’s Street, Hertford SG14 1HZ (MAP)

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Tickets £9.50

Price includes booking fees

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Matthew Sharp - cello, voice

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EVENT 5 

HFoM FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA WITH CHLOË HANSLIP & TOM HAMMOND

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Saturday 5 June, 5.30pm - c. 6.30pm/8.00pm - c. 9.00pm

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Principal Artist Chloë Hanslip ('…wholly infectious conviction, spontaneity and panache… superbly accomplished performances…' - Gramophone) performs Arvo Pärt’s meditative masterpiece Fratres, and a charming suite by Sibelius in a concert launched by Bartók’s exhilarating Romanian Folk Dances. We’ll also hear a beguiling exploration of continuous melody in a Blake-inspired work from our Featured Living Composer - Master of the Queen’s Music, Judith Weir CBE.

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All Saints’ Church, Queens Road, Hertford SG13 8AY (MAP)

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HFoM Festival Orchestra

Chloë Hanslip - violin

Tom Hammond - conductor

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Tickets £23.50

Price includes booking fees

 

PERFORMANCE 2

 

8.00pm - c. 9.00pm

 

Béla Bartók arr. Willner

Judith Weir

Jean Sibelius

Arvo Pärt

EVENT 6

ZRI - THE BREWHOUSE SESSION

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Saturday 5 June, 9.30pm - c. 11.00pm

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With tunes from JS Bach to Taylor Swift, ZRI give their special Gypsy-Jazz-Klezmer treatment to music from Vienna’s Red Hedgehog tavern, that will make you want to leap to your feet and dance!

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McMullen Brewery Courtyard,​ 26 Old Cross, Hertford SG14 1RD (MAP)

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Tickets:  £16.50

Price includes booking fees

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There will be limited and informal seating available and most people will be encouraged to stand.

EVENT 7

1670 – THE DELIGHTFUL COMPANION

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Sunday 6 June, 1.00pm - c. 2.00pm/3.30pm - c. 4.30pm

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Inspired by the 350th anniversary of the Grade 1 listed Friends’ Meeting House in Hertford, this programme is centred around the year 1670.

 

Drawing on their vast collection recorders, all manner of shapes and sizes from the tiny garklein to the great sub-contra bass, Fontanella will bring to life this Delightful Companion, aptly named by Robert Carr in the seventeenth century.

 

From a virtuosic concerto by John Baston to divisions on the famous Greensleeves, Henry Purcell’s Three Parts upon a Ground and hits from The Catch Club, this concert promises to paint a colourful musical landscape!

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All Saints’ Church, Queens Road, Hertford SG13 8AY (MAP)

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Tickets: £21.50

Price includes booking fees

EVENT 8

FLORIAN MITREA AT BENSLOW

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Sunday 6 June, 6.00pm - c. 7.00pm/8.30pm - c. 9.30pm

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Hertfordshire-based pianist Florian Mitrea makes a welcome return to the Festival this year with three master works of the piano repertoire by Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. The programme includes a world première by Alan Mills.

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Peter Morrison Hall, Benslow Music Trust, Ibberson Way,

Hitchin SG4 9RB (MAP)

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Tickets: £20, £10 (livestream), free for under 27's

Contact Benslow Box Office for this event 

 

EVENT 9

MUSIC IN MIND - LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

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Throughout the Festival period

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An opportunity to experience the results of our music sessions for people living with dementia, including their carers and families. For those living with the condition, participating in music can bring not only an improvement in symptoms, but a sense of joy and elation for those taking part.

 

In collaboration with the outreach wing of the Orchestra of the Swan – Music Cares, and the Alzheimer’s Society

EVENT 10

CHLOË HANSLIP: A MASTERCLASS

(in partnership with Future Talent and Queenswood School)

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Tuesday 8 June, 6.00pm - c. 7.00pm/8.00pm - c. 9.00pm

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In collaboration with Future Talent, who support gifted young musicians from low income backgrounds, distinguished international violinist Chloë Hanslip gives a masterclass for violin/viola players. This event will be available to watch as a livestream, without charge. Please check our website for details closer to the time.

 

Ernest Read Hall, Queenswood School Chapel, Shepherd's Way, Brookmans Park, Hatfield AL9 6NS (MAP)

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Daniel Swain - accompanist

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Capacity will be limited to 50 at any one time due to Covid-19 restrictions.

If you'd like to apply to perform in the masterclass, please click here

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EVENT 11

SOUNDBITES: FLORIAN MITREA IN RECITAL

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Wednesday 9 June, 12.00pm - c. 12.55pm

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Florian Mitrea’s second appearance at HFoM 2021 balances Mozart’s charm with one of Chopin’s most popular works, and a repeat performance of a new work by Alan Mills.

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All Saints’ Church, Queens Road, Hertford SG13 8AY (MAP)

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FREE EVENT - Lunch available at venue subject to current Covid restrictions

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Alan Mills

Frédéric Chopin

Sonata in C major KV 309

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Fantasy in D minor KV 397 and Rondo in D major KV 485

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The Lord Is My Shepherd

Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante Op.22

EVENT 12

JUDITH WEIR IN CONVERSATION

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Thursday 10 June, 5.00pm - c. 5.45pm

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Master of the Queen’s Music and HFoM’s Featured Living Composer 2021, Judith Weir CBE talks to Artistic Directors James Francis Brown and Tom Hammond about her creative life, with opportunity for audience questions and participation.

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Chapel at Queenswood, Shepherd's Way, Brookmans Park, Hatfield AL9 6N (MAP)

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FREE EVENT

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EVENT 13

CHLOË HANSLIP AND DANNY DRIVER IN RECITAL

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Thursday 10 June, 6.00pm - c. 7.00pm/8.00pm - c. 9.00pm

 

For the Festival Finale, Principal Artist Chloë Hanslip ('Her performance can only be described as a tour de force.' - The Guardian) is joined by pianist Danny Driver to perform Beethoven and music by HFoM Artistic Director James Francis Brown and Judith Weir CBE.

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Chapel at Queenswood, Shepherd's Way, Brookmans Park, Hatfield AL9 6NS (MAP)

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Tickets: £21.50

Price includes booking fees

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Chloë Hanslip - violin

Danny Driver - piano

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The Hart's Grace

Sonata in G major, op. 96