WYE Valley Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with six musical events between February 15th and 23rd.

Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Tong and Simon Crawford-Phillips - two critically acclaimed pianists, chamber musicians and long-standing friends - have created a festival of unique character and musical passion.

During the Festival, the musicians live and work at Treowen, a Grade 1 listed Manor House near Monmouth, which provides a wonderfully atmospheric home. It is a musicians’ retreat, and many return every year, purely for the pleasure and professional development of rehearsing and playing the chosen repertoire - the musical experience is unique and difficult to replicate elsewhere.

Co artistic director Daniel Tong introduces this year’s programme.

“History has a way of favouring certain artists, so that we are not now always aware of the richness of the musical landscape at any given moment. This year’s Festival programme sets voices that are now rarely heard alongside their canonic contemporaries. For instance, Danish Romantic Niels Gade is paired with Robert Schumann, Friedrich Gernsheim is heard with his compatriot Johannes Brahms, and Mel Bonis shares her progressive musical colouring alongside the father of the French musical establishment, Camille Saint-Saëns. Elsewhere George Onslow, Georgy Catoire, Frank Bridge and Mieczysław Weinberg enter the scene, complementing Mendelssohn, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Prepare for an inspiring and eye-opening experience!”

The first of this year’s two concerts in Monmouth is a Young Musicians Showcase at 7pm on Tuesday, February 18th in the Recital Hall on the Hereford Rd campus of Haberdashers Monmouth School. The showcase will celebrate the future of chamber music in the Wye Valley with performances from the next generation of musicians, including two finalists in the 2024 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, quarter finalist Finn Anderson-Hendra (cello) and semi finalist Maya Broman Crawford-Phillips (violin).

Finn (16) studies at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music with Jacob Shaw who she also works with as a scholarship holder at the Scandinavian Cello School in Denmark. She was the principal cello of the National Youth String Orchestra from 2022-24.

Swedish/British violinist, Maya (17) studies at the Yehudi Menuhin school. She regularly performs across Europe with the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra as part of their New Generation programme. In 2020 she received the Welin and the Kerstin and Sigge Strand scholarships.

The programme for the Young Musicians Showcase is; Fauré Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15 (1st movement)Schumann Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 63;String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13.

There are also Festival Concerts at Hellens Manor, Much Marcle; the Bishop’s Palace, Hereford; Bridges Centre, Monmouth; Haberdashers Monmouth School and Treowen Manor, Dingestow.

Visit wyevalleyfestival.com for full details.

Concert tickets are £20 and the Discovery Day ticket, (including lunch at Treowen Manor) is £75. There is a £90 Festival Tickets which includes 5 concerts (Discovery Day available separately). Student concert tickets are £5 and the Discovery Day is £25.

Tickets are available from ticketsource.co.uk/wyevalleyfestival and advance booking is strongly recommended.