Mini-festival planned for autumn in Leamington after popular May classical music event is cancelled due to Coronavirus outbreak

The annual Festival, based for the last twenty years in the Royal Pump Rooms, dates back to 1990 and has always been programmed for the first weekend in May.

The 2020 Festival had the title Largely Ludwig, as part of the worldwide celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven.

Some of his most popular works and some less familiar ones were programmed with pieces written by composers he had met or influenced.

Other strands in the festival involved Leamington composer Howard Skempton and the town’s Czech connections.

Festival Director Richard Phillips said: “One chooses a Festival theme or focus and refines the initial ideas over a couple of years before deciding that its architecture is right.

"With over a hundred festivals under my belt, I felt pretty happy with this design, so cancelling it is very disappointing.”

One of the highlights of the festival was to have been the return after an outstanding concert in the 2019 Festival by violinist Tasmin Little, prior to her retirement at the end of the summer.

Because of the coronavirus crisis, she has now announced that she will postpone her retirement and has said how much she wants to return for the final time to the Royal Pump Rooms, one of her favourite venues.

Leamington Music is therefore exploring the possibility of putting on a mini-festival in the Autumn to feature some of the concerts that have been cancelled and this would include a solo recital by the Russian pianist Andrey Gugnin, who would be accompanying Tasmin Little, and who raised a standing ovation at last year’s festival.

This event would ideally be towards the end of September before the 2020/21 Leamington Music Winter Season which has some 20 concerts going from early October to late March.

Leamington Music will be working with the Warwick District Council box office to find ways of transferring tickets already booked or making refunds.

In the meantime, Leamington Music is grateful for donations to keep the organisation going and to help look after musicians during these difficult times.

Visit www.leamingtonmusic.org to see how to make a donation.

The box office is currently closed, so all enquiries about future Leamington Music events and booking details should be made to the Leamington Music office on 01926 497000 or by email to [email protected].