Young artists in a Georgian country house setting, what's not to love

Dabton House

Dabton House is a Georgian country house on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfriesshire, built in the 1820s and very much a classical villa. From 17 to 19 May 2024, the house is hosting a Classical Music Retreat, giving guests the chance to hear emerging Scottish artists in the intimate confines of Dabton House's drawing room. The weekend is being presented by Absolute Classics, artistic director Alex McQuiston, an organisation that presents classical music across Dumfries & Galloway, showcasing finest classical musicians to audiences while also nurturing and supporting emerging talents.

The Classical Music Retreat at Dabton House features Scottish violinist Iona McDonald and pianist Yuki Negishi in Clara Schumann, Franck, Lili Boulanger and Saint-Saens, 16-year-old cellist Will Archibald (runner up in the final of the Scottish Young SoloMusician of the Year in May 2023) with Negishi in Schumann, Ligeti and Rachmaninov, Scottish soprano Catriona McArthur with Negishi in an eclectic programme that moves from Handel and Mozart, to Schumann, Debussy, Madeleine Dring, Rebecca Clark and James MacMillan, and percussionist Callum Walton (who is evidently from Gretna Green).

Absolute Classics presents a whole variety of events across the region, and the Summer Festival this year features pianist Peter Donohoe, the Rossetti Ensemble in a programme of piano quartets, brass ensemble Septura, and Opera Bohemia in Puccini's Tosca, all in Dumfries.

Full details from the Absolute Classics website.