Tuesday, 26 August 2025

25 years of the special natural setting of Exmoor & Dartmoor: the Two Moors Festival celebrates

South Molton Church
South Molton Church

This October the Two Moors Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with events encompassing Exmoor (1-5 October 2025) and Dartmoor (8-12 October 2025). Since 2001, the Two Moors Festival has evolved into one of the most distinctive classical music festivals in the UK. It usually welcomes over 4,000 people to its rural venues. The Festival also nurtures young artists through its Young Musicians’ Competition and assists performers through its residency programmes. This year’s line-up represents the best of chamber music and song, spanning six centuries of musical tradition, as well as talks, discussion and workshops. 

Last year, I chatted to artist director, violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen about the festival, see our interview. This year she opens things with solo and duo works by Bach performed with cellist Guy Johnston, and then Waley-Cohen and friends perform Schubert's Trout Quintet.  Waley-Cohen also joins Colin Currie and the United Strings of Europe for a concert including music by Tchaikovsky, Jessie Montgomery, Caroline Shaw and a new piece by Erkii-Sven Tuur for violin, percussion and string orchestra. Colin Currie and his quartet will also be giving a relaxed concert including music by Steve Reich and Anna Meredith

Tamsin Waley-Cohen performing at the Two Moors Festival in 2022
Tamsin Waley-Cohen performing at the Two Moors Festival in 2022

Vocal ensemble Apollo5 give an eclectic recital as well as presenting an all-ages singing workshop. Other events include a recital of English song by soprano Elizabeth Watts and pianist Julius Drake, the duo Intesa (Lucine Musaelian and Nathan Giorgietti) in music for viol and voice, singers from the National Opera Studio in recital, tenor Nick Pritchard joins pianists James Baillieu and Cordelia Williams for a Schubertiade,  pianist Tianxu An makes a rare UK appearance with a recital of Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninoff and the festival draws to a close with the Chiaroscuro Quartet in late Beethoven.

Full details from the festival website.


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