Charlotte Perkins violin
Brianna Berman violin
Sagnick Mukherjee viola
Josiah Duhlstine cello

The first of our pre-festival taster concerts is an entertaining and genre-crossing programme embracing classical, folk and original compositions.

Free entry for all, suitable for families.

In the second of our pre-festival taster concerts, James McIntyre, tenor, and Ross Morris, guitar, present an irresistible mix of classical, traditional folk and feel-good songs.

Free entry for all, suitable for families.

Schubert
Liebesbotschaft (arr. Osborne)
Allegretto in C, D.346 (completed Osborne)
Am Meer (arr. Osborne)
Sonata in C minor, D.958

Beethoven
33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op.120

Steven’s recital opens with his own original perspective on an isolated movement and two late songs by Franz Schubert from the Schwanengesang collection that was posthumously published. The Sonata in C minor was composed in the final year of his life and he played it to friends just seven weeks before his death. Schubert revered Beethoven, who had died the previous year, and this piece clearly has the shadow of the great master hanging over it.

Nothing can adequately prepare the listener for the ‘Diabelli’ Variations. Considered by legendary pianist Alfred Brendel to be one of the greatest ever achievements in solo piano writing, this monumental work, acclaimed as ‘a microcosm of Beethoven’s art’, was composed in answer to a challenge to create a single variation on a trifling waltz that Beethoven described as a ‘cobbler’s patch’. From this unpromising material, Beethoven crafted a magisterial work of just under an hour’s duration that embraces humour and parody, while maintaining an extraordinary coherence across the whole of its formidable structure.

"Steven Osborne proves that he is the ideal modern-day Beethovenian, utterly at one with the composer” Gramophone Magazine

Sponsored by Andrew and Hilary Walker.

Tickets: £34/£27 (concessions £19/£16).

POST-CONCERT: Stay for a short informal Q&A immediately after the concert

Rachel and Holli are an exciting new addition to the Scottish traditional music scene, drawing on their shared roots in Argyll to create a fresh and expressive blend of instrumental music and vocals. They delight in bringing engaging interplay and musical sensitivity to original compositions and traditional melodies alike.

Suitable for all the family.

Tickets: £10 (concessions & under 26s Free)

We welcome Hadley Court Singers from Haddington to the historic riverside setting of St Cuthbert’s Church for a glorious programme of late Italian Renaissance works by Palestrina – including his sublime Stabat Mater – and Gesualdo, alongside magnificent motets and songs by Stanford and Parry.

Free event (advance booking advised).

Post-concert dining can be pre-booked at The Mason’s Arms, Norham (01289 382326 )

Enjoy a pre-concert light salad buffet from local caterer Catered by Courtney, served in the Paxton House Stables Tearoom. Price includes a complimentary drink from our festival bar and post-supper tea and coffee. Spaces limited and MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE by the 6th July. Vegetarian option available. For other dietary requirements, including vegan and gluten free, please select 'other' and email your name and requirements to info@musicatpaxton.co.uk by the cut off date.

For enquiries and further information contact us on 07594 224992 / info@musicatpaxton.co.uk

This booking page is for the 18th July supper. To book for Saturday 25th please click here

The Printing House of Estienne Roger:
Torelli - Sinfonia à 3 in C, Op.5 No.3
Corelli - Sonata da Chiesa in F, Op.3 No.1
Corelli - Violin Sonata in A, Op.5 No.6
Froberger - Keyboard Suite from 10 Suittes de Clavessin
Locatelli - Sonata à 3 in D minor, Op.5 No.5 ‘Pastorale’
Albinoni - Balletto à 3 in D, Op.3 No.7
Handel - Trio Sonata in G minor, Op.2 No.2
Vivaldi - Trio in D minor, Op.1 No.12 ‘La Follia’

The Dunedin Consort, under director John Butt, is one of the world’s most exciting Baroque ensembles. Renowned for its ability to give fresh insights to established masterpieces of the era, the Consort is also committed to introducing listeners to the glorious wealth of chamber works by those composers whose music is more commonly associated with grand concert halls, opera houses and churches.

This programme explores outstanding works featured in the sale catalogues of family duo Estienne Roger and Michel-Charles Le Cène, prolific printers and publishers of music in Amsterdam, whose business success was built on the voracious appetite of 18th-century Europe-wide amateur musicians for playing these joyous pieces in their own homes.

"The musicianship is exquisite” The Scotsman

Tickets: £30/£27 (concessions £16)

Couperin, Frescobaldi, Purcell and J. S. Bach

John Butt leads us on an entertaining tour of important 17th and early 18th century European musical centres, commencing with a whimsical suite of dances by French composer Louis Couperin, followed by short stopovers in Italy and England, and arriving in Germany for a selection of Preludes and Fugues from Bach’s monumental Well-Tempered Clavier Book I.

Tickets: £12 (concessions £6)

OFFER: £2 off full price ticket when booked with the 3.30pm Gould Piano Trio concert (discount applied at checkout).

Lucy Gould violin
Richard Lester cello
Benjamin Frith piano

Haydn - Piano Trio No.44 in E, Hob.XV:28
Schumann - Piano Trio No.2 in F, Op.80
MacMillan - Piano Trio No. 2
Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.49

The trios the Gould Trio have chosen for this performance are united by their sunny disposition and high spirits. Haydn’s effervescent work, written during his extended stay in London, introduces the second of Schumann’s 1847 trios, described by the composer as having a “friendlier and more immediate impression”. In turn, Schumann declared that the D minor trio by his younger friend Mendelssohn “will gladden our grandchildren and great-grandchildren for many years to come”.

James MacMillan’s Piano Trio No.2 was a joint commission from the Gould Trio and Bath International Festival. It is a concise work that “trips through dazzle and introspection, ranging from clown-like high spirits to delicately modal folk-like passages” (BBC Music Magazine).

"A musical fire that ignites from the first bar” The Washington Post

Tickets: £30/£27 (concessions £16)

OFFER: £2 off full price ticket for John Butt morning recital when booked with this concert (discount applied at checkout).

Alina Ibragimova violin
Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux violin
Emilie Hörnlund viola
Claire Thirion cello

Beethoven
String Quartet in D, Op.18 No.3
String Quartet in F, Op.135
String Quartet in A minor, Op.132

We are delighted to welcome the Chiaroscuro Quartet back for two performances that can be enjoyed individually or as a musical sequence. Formed in 2005, the group enjoys an international touring schedule that regularly takes them to major venues across Europe, Japan and the USA.

Beethoven’s early, genial Quartet in D echoes stylistic aspects of Mozart and Haydn, but the boldness exhibited already points to the remarkable journey he would take in this genre. The score of his final completed composition, the Quartet in F, recaptures much of this upbeat spirit, despite the travails of his later life. In contrast, the Quartet in A minor is a dark, brooding work that features a striking ‘Chorale hymn of thanksgiving for recovery from illness’. This movement alone is considered by many to be one of Beethoven’s greatest creations.

POST-CONCERT: Stay for a short informal Q&A with the quartet immediately after the concert.

Tickets: £30/£27 (concessions £16)

OFFER: book both Chiaroscuro concerts for £40 (£42 for premium seat bookers) - discount applied at checkout.

Alina Ibragimova violin
Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux violin
Emilie Hörnlund viola
Claire Thirion cello

Haydn - String Quartet in E flat, Op.20 No.1
Mendelssohn - String Quartet in A minor, Op.13

We highly recommend starting your day with a witty, energetic quartet by Haydn, the first of a set of six that has been grouped as the ‘Sun’ quartets for their genial disposition.

Mendelssohn’s Quartet in A minor, written when the composer was just 18, has its moments of playfulness, yet there is an air of melancholy that emerges that undoubtedly reflects the sense of loss the young man experienced on hearing the news of the death of his great idol, Beethoven.

"Ravishing sonic and intonational purity …” The Strad

Tickets: £16 (concesssions £10)

OFFER: book both Chiaroscuro concerts for £40 (£42 for premium seat bookers) - discount applied at checkout.

Luis de Narváez - Canción del Emperador
Dowland - Praeludium & Fantasia No. 7
J. S. Bach (arr. F. Koonce) - Lute Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV997
Fernando Sor - 'Grand Solo' Op.14
Granados - Valses Poéticos
Augustín Barrios Mangoré - Cuatro Piezas
Schubert (arr. Majumder) 3 Songs: Lob der Tränen; Der Wanderer an den Mond; “Litanei” auf das Fest Aller Seelen

We are excited to present the outstanding young Scottish-Indian guitarist Samrat Majumder in a programme that offers a dynamic selection of guitar repertoire stretching from England to Germany, and from Spain to Paraguay. Praised for his range of expression and beauty of tone, Samrat has also received great acclaim for his sensitive transcriptions and beautiful interpretations of Schubert songs.

A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Samrat is currently studying at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, USA. In May 2025, the prestigious Young Concert Artists Trust announced Samrat as their inaugural 40th Anniversary Artist, and selected him for the additional accolade of becoming their joint YCAT-Concert Artists Guild (USA) Artist for 2025. In March 2026 he was announced as a Classic FM Rising Star.

During the 2025/26 season Samrat is performing on a tour throughout the UK culminating in a debut recital at the Wigmore Hall, and he will be a featured artist at the New India Guitar Festival in India.

Tickets: £25 (concessions £15)

Emily Baines recorders, bagpipes, voice
Arngeir Hauksson gitterns, lute, percussion, symphonie
Members of St Cuthbert’s Church Choir

Meditatio
This evocative programme invites listeners into a world of devotion, landscape and quiet wonder, inspired by the life of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. At its heart are chants dedicated to the saint that have not been heard in nearly 1,000 years – music in essence shaped by prayer, solitude, and the ebb and flow of the North Sea. Instrumental and vocal works from later in the Medieval Age reveal how meditative sound continued to unfold across centuries and continents.

Tickets:£12/restricted view £8 (concessions £6)

OFFER: £2 off full price when booked with 7.30pm Lumas Winds concert (discount applied at checkout).

Beth Stone flute
Chris Vettraino oboe
Rennie Sutherland clarinet
Flo Plane bassoon
Benjamin Hartnell-Booth French horn

Bernstein (arr. Don Stewart) - Overture to ‘Candide’
Holst - Wind Quintet in A flat, Op.14
Françaix - Wind Quartet (1933)
Zemlinsky - Humoreske (1939)
Ibert - Trois Pièces Brèves (1930)
Ligeti - Six Bagatelles (1953)
J.S. Bach (arr. Rechtman) - Organ Concerto No.2 in A minor, BWV593
Arnold - Three Shanties Op.4

The members of Lumas Winds are committed ambassadors for wind chamber music and the rich variety of repertoire it offers. As winners of the 71st Royal Over-Seas League Mixed Ensemble Prize, and regularly featuring at festivals and music clubs up and down the UK, they have earned a reputation as dynamic and engaging concert hosts, and praised for being an “effervescent wind quintet, lively in their performance style and enterprising in their choice of repertoire” (Seen and Heard International).

The ensemble’s high-octane programme for Paxton is packed with a sparkling mix of lively mid-20th century pieces, contrasting with the calm beauty and elegance of works by Bach and Holst.

"Really impressive … one to watch” BBC Radio 3 Record Review

Tickets: £25 (concessions £15)

OFFER: £2 off full price for Amyas Ensemble afternoon concert when booked together (discount applied at checkout).

From the Forest of Dean to the Appalachians:Songs by Ina Boyle, Ivor Gurney, John Ireland, Elaine Hugh-Jones, Herbert Howells, Michael Head, Douglas Weiland, Anthony Payne, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Charles Villiers Stanford, Arthur Bliss and African American Spirituals (arr. Roderick Williams)

Roddy and Iain have devised a wonderful programme that transports us across land, seas and time, shining a reflective light on an age before and after the turn of the 20th century. Their prime focus is on the ‘Dymock Poets’, a group of friends – including Edward Thomas and Rupert Brooke – who lived near the Gloucestershire village in the years leading up to the First World War and who welcomed the great American poet Robert Frost into their midst during his extended trip to England. It is his work that provides the bridge to American forebears and contemporaries Walt Whitman and Edna St Vincent Millay.

There is much beauty in evocative poems of rural life, but the shadows of injustice, war and servitude are never far away. It is no wonder that so many great composers have been moved to write songs to the arresting words of these poets, and this programme offers a compelling sequence that gives a vision of life 100 years ago that nevertheless still has resonances in our modern, contrary world.

"a perceptive and highly skilled partnership” MusicWeb International

Tickets: £34/£27 (concessions £19/£16)

OFFER: Free entry to Saturday morning Masterclass when booked at the same time (discount applied at checkout).

Roddy’s rich tone and his unsurpassed skill in communicating song texts marks out his song recitals as compelling experiences. In this masterclass with young singers beginning their musical careers, he and Iain share their insights on interpretation and presentation.

We would like to thank Samling Institute for Young Artists, Dunedin Consort, and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for proposing the young singers who are participating in this event.

"Always getting to the emotional core, Williams again proved what a remarkable artist he is” The Guardian

Tickets: £10 (concessions Free)

OFFER: Free entry to this Masterclass for Friday night concert ticket holders if booked at the same time.

Rachel is a lever harpist from Aberdeenshire and is BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2026.

Rooted in Scottish traditional music, she draws on influences from classical, jazz and global folk styles as a platform for exploring the rich textural range of her instrument.

With free entry young people under 26 and accompanied children, this event is suitable for all the family. Presented in association with Live Music Now Scotland.

"It’s rare to find such engaging composition paired with such effortless joy” Maeve Gilchrist, Scottish lever harpist.

Tickets: £10 (concessions Free)

Enjoy a pre-concert light salad buffet from local caterer Catered by Courtney, served in the Paxton House Stables Tearoom. Price includes a complimentary drink from our festival bar and post-supper tea and coffee. Spaces limited and MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE by the 13th July. Vegetarian option available. For other dietary requirements, including vegan and gluten free, please select 'other' and email your name and requirements to info@musicatpaxton.co.uk by the cut off date.

For enquiries and further information contact us on 07594 224992 / info@musicatpaxton.co.uk

This booking page is for the 25th July supper. To book for Saturday 18th please click here

Charlotte Spruit violin
Edgar Francis viola
Hugh Mackay cello
Junyan Chen piano

Bridge - Phantasy Quartet in F Sharp minor, H.94
Schumann - Piano Quartet in E Flat, Op.47
Fauré - Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor, Op.15

Ensemble Jackalope brings an invigorating brilliance to the Piano Quartet repertoire.

Frank Bridge’s 1910 quartet packs immense energy into a rich, concise framework that stylistically owes much to German and French influences, while Fauré’s expansive and ardent work has an emotional direction that some commentators have attributed to the rise and subsequent demise of his first romance. Schumann’s Quartet was enthusiastically welcomed on its première in 1844 as “a piece full of spirit and vitality … with soaring flights of imagination”.

With thanks to the generous support of The Marchus Trust.

POST CONCERT: Stay for a short informal Q&A immediately after the concert

Tickets: £10 (concessions Free)

OFFER: £2 off full price tickets for Hugh Mackay Sunday morning concert when booked together (discount applied at checkout).

J.S Bach
Cello Suite No.2 in D minor, BWV1008
Cello Suite No.3 in C, BWV1009

Born in 2000 in the Scottish Borders and educated at St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh, Hugh is rapidly establishing a fine reputation as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe. He has an established partnership with pianist Junyan Chen, winner of Second Prize and Chamber Music Award at Leeds International Piano Competition 2024, and he is currently a chamber music scholar at Villa Musica Landesstiftung in Germany, performing alongside world-leading musicians and emerging artists.

"[The cello suites] are the very essence of Bach” Pablo Casals

Tickets: £12 (concessions £6)

OFFER: £2 off full price when booked with Ensemble Jackalope concert.

J.S Bach - Partita No.5 in G, BWV829
Schumann - Piano Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.22
Couperin - ‘From the Sixième Ordre’
Ravel - Le Tombeau de Couperin

We are thrilled to welcome internationally-acclaimed pianist Angela Hewitt to Paxton for our festival finale. Her programme is especially apt as the beautiful Paxton Picture Gallery takes on a new lease of life as the Ballroom – historic dance forms and celebration are the essence and inspiration of the featured works.

Dance rhythms lie at the very heart of many of Bach’s compositions, as the Partita No.5 in G demonstrates so well. Schumann’s Piano Sonata in G Minor was written the year after his marriage to Clara, and it was at her insistence that he produced a virtuoso work with irresistible momentum and passion.

François Couperin held positions at the Royal Court of King Louis XIV of France both as organist and harpsichordist, and his compositions for the latter explore a wide range of dance-styles with supreme elegance and wit. Ravel’s ‘Tombeau de Couperin’ is a tribute to French Baroque keyboard styles generally, with its six movements imitating a dance suite that can be summarised as ‘light-hearted reflection’.

"superb ... as if we are hearing this music for the first time" Bachtrack

Sponsored by Neville and Kathleen Cartwright.

Tickets: £34/£27 (concessions £19/£16)