Haydn Piano Trio No.11 in E major, Hob XV:34
Borodin String Sextet in D minor
Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Schubert (arr. Roderick Williams) Die schöne Müllerin arr. for Baritone & String Quartet

The 14th Highgate International Chamber Music Festival opens with a journey through folk song, lyricism and storytelling. Roderick Williams’ acclaimed new arrangement of Die schöne Müllerin for baritone and string quartet crowns a programme that also includes Haydn’s sparkling Piano Trio No.11 and Bartók’s rustic Romanian Folk Dances. Featuring former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and ECHO Rising Star James Newby alongside the internationally acclaimed Carducci Quartet.

James Newby baritone
Carducci Quartet: Matthew Denton, Michelle Flemming (violins), Eoin Schmidt-Martin (viola), Emma Denton (cello)
Irina Botan piano
Natalie Klouda violin
Ashok Klouda cello

Approx. finish time: 9.30pm

Wolf Italian Serenade
Dvořák String Sextet in A major, Op.48
Schubert Piano Trio No.2 in E-flat major, D.929

Join us for a night of Romantic drama. Dvořák’s String Sextet was written in just a fortnight following the success of his Slavonic Dances and is renowned for its expansive lyricism, sparkling Furiant and Dumka movements and virtuosic set of closing variations. Wolf’s whimsical Italian Serenade (one of his few famous works that is not a song) and Schubert’s masterful Piano Trio No. 2 complete an evening of lyric beauty, intimacy and grandeur.

Benjamin Marquise Gilmore & Natalie Klouda violin
Ruth Gibson & Benjamin Roskams viola
Brian O’Kane & Ashok Klouda cello
Kateryna Titova piano

Approx. finish time: 9.30pm

R Jones Chamber Airs for a Violin and Thorough Bass, Op.2, No.4
Blow Ground in G minor
W Tisdale Pavana Chromatica
Anon/W Tisdale Galliard ‘Can She Excuse’
Schop Lachrimae Pavan
Locke Suite for Several Friends
Vivaldi Cello Sonata No.5 in E minor
JS Bach Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No.3 in E major, BWV 1016
Hasse Sonata in A major, ‘Fatte per la Real Delfina di Francia’
Veracini Violin Sonata in D minor, ‘Sonate accademiche’, Op.2, No.12

Step into the candlelit world of the Baroque. Returning for a third year, violin superstar Rachel Podger – hailed by The Times as ‘the unsurpassed British glory of the Baroque violin’ – spearheads a programme of Bach, Vivaldi, Locke, Blow and Veracini. Joined by leading period specialists, expect an evening rich in invention, virtuosity and vitality

Rachel Podger violin
Jonathan Byers & Ashok Klouda cello
Tom Foster harpsichord
Jadran Duncumb lute

Approx. finish time: 9.30pm

Mozart Adagio and Rondo in C minor, K.617
Mussorgsky (arr. Bernhard Schimpelsberger) Pictures at an Exhibition
Saint-Saëns Prière (Prayer), Op.158
Purcell Chacony in G minor
JS Bach Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029
W Lawes Selection from Royall Consort Suites
Ravel Alborada del Graciosa
Prokofiev Piano Sonata No.3 in A minor, Op.28 (‘From Old Notebooks’)

Expect the unexpected. This concert reimagines familiar favourites through surprising instrumental combinations. From Mozart and Bach to Mussorgsky’s iconic Pictures at an Exhibition and Prokofiev’s explosive Third Piano Sonata, hear beloved works transformed by accordion, percussion, piano and strings. At the heart of the programme are percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger and pianist Kateryna Titova, whose innovative arrangements took Beethovenfest 2025 by storm.

Kateryna Titova piano
Bernhard Schimpelsberger drum kit
Borut Zagoranski accordion
Natalie Klouda & Magnus Johnston violin
Benjamin Roskams viola
Ashok Klouda cello

Approx. finish time: 9.30pm

Schumann Fantasiestücke for Clarinet & Piano, Op.73
Britten Quartet No.3 in G major, Op.94
Svante Henryson Off Pist
Brahms String Quintet No.2 in G Major, Op.111

Clarinettist Julian Bliss displays dazzling versatility in Schumann’s poetic Fantasiestücke and Off Pist, an irresistibly toe-tapping work infused with jazz and hard rock influences. Britten’s searching Third String Quartet and Brahms’ magnificent String Quintet No.2 complete the programme. Performers include Royal Opera House concert master Magnus Johnston, former member of both the Navarra String Quartet and the Aronowitz Ensemble.

Julian Bliss clarinet
Irina Botan piano
Natalie Klouda violin & composer
Magnus Johnston violin
Benjamin Roskams & Ruth Gibson viola
Ashok Klouda cello

Approx. finish time: 9.30pm

An hour-long concert introducing little ones and their families to the magical up-close world of chamber music.

More details to be announced soon!

Natalie Klouda Clarinet Quintet, ‘Charms & Chasms’ (UK premiere)
Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581
Schumann Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op.44

The festival culminates in a glittering gala featuring violinist Alina Ibragimova, one of the most admired musicians of her generation. Mozart’s timeless Clarinet Quintet and Schumann’s joyous Piano Quintet frame the UK premiere of festival director Natalie Klouda’s Clarinet Quintet, ‘Charms & Chasms’. Join us for world-class artists at close quarters – a hallmark of the Highgate International Chamber Music Festival experience.

Alina Ibragimova & Natalie Klouda violin
Benjamin Roskams viola
Ashok Klouda cello
Julian Bliss clarinet
Irina Botan piano

Approx. finish time: 9pm