6pm Friday 24 July St Pancras Church, Widecombe
Alfred Nicol: Pre-concert talk and poetry reading

American poet Alfred Nicol has written six poems, each inspired by one of the movements in György Kurtág’s Six Moments Musicaux.

In this session, free to all ticket holders for the concert at 7.30pm, Alfred will read the poems and talk about his approach and how they came to be. The festival musicians will be on hand to play each movement alongside the poem it inspired. Nicol’s work has received a great many awards and plaudits. It includes several collaborations with a variety of musicians and visual artist. We’re absolutely delighted that he is able to join us here in Devon for the last few days of our festival this year.

ACMF Concert #3 at 6.30pm featuring music by Ravel, Kurtág, Biber, Brahms
M. Ravel (1875 – 1937) – Sonata for violin and cello, M.73
G. Kurtág (b. 1926) – Six Moments Musicaux, Op. 44
H. Biber (1644 – 1704) – Passacaglia in G Minor
J. Brahms (1833 – 1897) – String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51


2026 Artists
Stefan Hersh, violin (USA)
Solenne Padidassi, violin (France)
David Yang, viola (USA)
Noémie Raymond, cello (Canada)
Andy Williamson, Saxophone (UK)

Philip Sawyers, Composer-in-Residence
Alfred Nicol, Poet-In-Residence

Up front and centre of Ashburton Chamber Music Festival 2026 is Brahms’ passionate Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51. It’s Brahms at his most turbulent, lunging from stormy to tender to angst-ridden, with a finale that drives with a ferocious primal energy. We’ll also have two unaccompanied works by Bach: the ebullient E Major Partita for violin and the popular Suite in C Major for cello.

Seventeenth century composer Heinrich Biber’s soulful Passacaglia will make an appearance alongside Ravel’s enigmatic, jazzy, and oh-so-French Sonata for violin and cello. This year we commissioned poet Alfred Nicol to write six deeply personal sonnets to accompany
Hungarian composer György Kurtág’s string quartet Six Moments Musicaux. Tom Vignieri’s Walk with Me for tenor sax and quartet will make its customary appearance, and the summer also features a world première by esteemed English composer Philip Sawyers.

The Divertimento for saxophone & string quartet employs local folk songs such as “Widecombe Fair” in Sawyers’ distinct English voice. Grounding the entire festival is Haydn’s Quartet in B Minor, Op.33, No. 1 – a rare work in a minor key from the father of the string quartet. We’re also repeating last year’s hugely popular Nachtmusik, performed in the dark without applause.

David Yang Festival Artistic Director

To see everything that's happening, and more about the music and the musicians go to ashburtonchambermusicfestival.org.uk/

See Access, Tickets & Finding Us for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre.

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