Threads of Gold: The National Centre for Early Music's Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival returns to the historic Yorkshire town

The National Centre for Early Music's Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival returns to the historic Yorkshire town from 24 to 26 May 20204 with a festival entitled Threads of Gold. 

There is something of a Spanish theme this year, as El Gran Teatro del Mundo, a young instrumental group based in Spain that captivated audiences on their UK tour last year and opens this year’s festival with Life is a Dream (la vida es sueño), a magical journey through the mysteries of the night, whilst The Telling close things with their music theatre show Into the Melting Pot which tells the stories of the women of medieval Spain thrust apart by religious intolerance. At Beverley Minster, the choir Tenebrae, appearing at the festival for the first time, perform their Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Requiem – a masterpiece of the Spanish Golden Age.  Other performers this year include the BBC New Generation Baroque Ensemble Augelletti, London Handel Players, violinist Bojan Čičić and harpsichordist Steven Devine, plus Song Path. 

The town plays its own important role in the festival, with the programme reflecting Beverley’s unique and intriguing history. This year’s talks and tours include Medieval Pilgrimage to St John of Beverley, an illustrated talk presented by Dr John Jenkins, co-Director of the Centre for Pilgrimage Studies at the University of York and Ancient Threads and Enchanted Garments, stories of preserved textiles from Iron Age and Roman Yorkshire told by Melanie Giles, Professor in European Prehistory at the University of Manchester.

Full details from the NCEM website.