After a year of musical silence across the world, Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival (LICMF) has announced its return to producing world-class chamber music concerts in the heart of Lincolnshire. LICMF’s Summer Festival 2021 will see socially distanced audiences gather in venues in Doddington, Boston, Grimsby, Gainsborough and Lincoln to hear a beautiful programme curated by Artistic Director, Alissa Firsova.  

 

World-renowned artists including tenor Mark Padmore, chamber orchestra Britten Sinfonia, the Navarra String Quartet, cellist Yoanna Prodanova and guitarist Morgan Szymanski will all make appearances at the Summer Festival, which runs from 13-17 July 2021. The programme features a diverse mix of music and promises to engage and enlighten audiences in equal measure.  

 

The opening concerts (13 July, Doddington Hall) feature tenor Mark Padmore and guitarist Morgan Szymanski performing music from the 17th to the 21st centuries. Hot off the heels of their recent album release, Love and Death, the Navarra String Quartet share some of their favourite music by Puccini, Kurtág and Janáček in the atmospheric surroundings of Grimsby Minster on 14 July. They will also give a rousing performance of Schubert’s masterpiece and audience favourite, Death and the Maiden.

 

On 15 July the Summer Festival heads to All Saints Church, Gainsborough with Artistic Director, Alissa Firsova and Artist-in-Residence, Mark Padmore. The duo will perform two concerts centring around two significant works for voice and piano by Robert Schumann: Kerner Lieder and Dichterliebe, paired with music by Brahms and Britten. Padmore’s recorded interpretation of Ditchterliebe won an Edison Klassiek Award in 2011, and these concerts will be a treat for Schumann fans across the county.

 

Two LICMF favourites return to round off the 2021 offering. On Friday 16 July, chamber orchestra Britten Sinfonia will perform a characteristically vibrant programme in Centenary Methodist Church, Boston. Works by Mozart and Beethoven are paired with a new work by composer Jon Paul Mayse specially commissioned by LICMF, Voyage of the Mayflower, which should have had its world premiere performance at last year’s Summer Festival. In the final concert on Saturday 17 July, Alissa Firsova and cellist Yoanna Prodanova perform a Russian-inspired programme of music at County Assembly Rooms, Lincoln. Music by Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff bookend the concert, with a work by Alissa Firsova’s late father (who was sadly a victim of Covid-19 in 2020), Dmitri Smirnov.  

 

Alissa Firsova, who will also perform in two of the concerts, said “I curated a programme to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower last year, but unfortunately the pandemic scuppered those plans. I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to retain some of the artists and music from last year’s Festival, including the world premiere of a brand-new work specially commissioned to celebrate the Mayflower and the brave pilgrims who set off from Lincolnshire for Holland - and ultimately the New World - seeking religious freedom. I am also thrilled to welcome back one of the UK’s most sought-after tenors, Mark Padmore, as our Artist-in-Residence and am looking forward to performing with him on 15 July.

 

“This year’s theme, Love and Loss will allow audiences the chance to reflect on this strange time through a shared live music experience – something too many of us have not had the opportunity to do yet. I think it’s going to be quite an emotional experience for audiences and musicians alike. The Summer Festival is dedicated to the memory of my late father – and victim of the pandemic – Dmitri Smirnov, as well as to all those who have suffered the loss of a loved one in these strangest of times.” 

 

Keeping audiences safe is key for LICMF and safety measures will include enhanced cleaning at venues, socially distanced seating and NHS Track and Trace. LICMF is also staging more than one performance in smaller venues so that audiences can experience the Summer Festival safely at a time that is convenient to them.

 

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Esther Ward-Caddle comments “we are delighted to announce this very special Summer Festival. After the cancellation of so many live music events during the pandemic, it has been a worrying year for both artists and event producers, and we’re just glad to be able to do our bit to support musicians by offering them work in Lincolnshire. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming audiences back and to being together to hear beautiful music once again. We will be working with our partner venues to put audience safety at the heart of the Summer Festival. It’s incredibly exciting to be back revelling in live music!” 

 

Tickets for LICMF’s Summer Festival will go on sale on 8 June via Eventbrite. Tickets are priced from £15 and concessions are available for Jobseekers, students and under 16s.