Classical music festival returns to Highgate

Highgate International Chamber Music Festival brings together leading musicians from around the world to perform in unique combinations, writes Lola Fallon

credit Highgate International Chamber Music Festival

The annual Highgate International Chamber Music Festival is returning for its 13th edition next month.

Hosted at St Anne’s Church near Hampstead Heath, the festival will run from 3rd–7th December, welcoming musicians from around the world for a celebration of chamber music.

Baroque violinist Rachel Podger will return on the Saturday (6th) after a sold-out performance last year, alongside Dutch violinist Charlotte Spruit, who has been called “one to watch” by Gramophone.

Leading song and chamber pianist James Baillieu will perform with BBC Radio 3’s ‘New Generation 2025’ soprano Erika Baikoff on Friday (5th) for an evening of Schubert Lieder.

The festival will be closed by Alexander Sitkovetsky and Wu Qian from the Sitkovetsky trio, fresh from acclaim at the Edinburgh International Festival this year.

Earlier on in the festival, clarinettist Julian Bliss will perform with London Symphony Orchestra leader Benjamin Marquise Gilmore in Coleridge-Taylor’s Clarinet Quintet on the Wednesday (3rd) and, in an exciting first, there will be an evening dedicated to the intersection between classical and folk music, led by Rakhi Singh, featuring Manchester Collective players on Thursday (4th).

Similarly, continuing its commitment to other art forms, the festival will also present the ‘Not So Silent Cinema’, screening Buster Keaton’s College, featuring a live piano quintet. This will be followed by The Art of the Cello on Sunday (7th), a collaboration between visual artist Nathaniel Boyd and founder-composer Natalie Klouda, featuring paintings inspired by Klouda’s world premiere of Hexaptych, displayed around the church.

Tickets for the festival start from £20 (£6 for students), with combined day/evening tickets starting at £35. Families are also welcome, with up to two children under the age of 16 being able to attend for free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information and to buy tickets:
Visit chambermusicfestival.co.uk

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.