Saturday 24th January, 3pm, St Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH.
Tickets available on the door – £7 (Children/Students £1)
&Piano, Musica Kirklees & the University of Huddersfield are delighted to welcome Rebecca Lea (Soprano) and Caroline Jaya-Ratnam (Piano) to Huddersfield to celebrate the recent launch of their critically acclaimed album ‘The New Winter Songbook’ – a collection of 21 songs all around the theme of ‘Winter’ by some of today’s finest living British Composers.
One of the songs on the album, ‘Snow Day’, was composed by Michael Betteridge, who last year collaborated with young musicians in Kirklees to develop musical and lyrical ideas for the piece.
To celebrate the album’s release, Michael, Rebecca, and Caroline will return to Kirklees to perform a selection of songs from the new album, and work with a group of local student and community singers earlier in the day to learn a selection of the new songs. These songs will be performed with the participants in the concert, together with Rebecca and Caroline.
This is a brilliant opportunity to experience a collection of exciting, new songs by living and working composers, and a great opportunity for our young performers to engage with new music. Wrap up warm and embrace the season!
Soprano Rebecca Lea enjoys a busy and varied career, performing across the UK and abroad. Recent highlights include a solo appearance at the BBC Proms in a new
commission by Cheryl Frances Hoad with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a further Proms appearance with Sir Simon Rattle and the BBC Singers, a disc of music by Benevoli with solo-voice ensemble, I Fagiolini, solos with the BBC Concert Orchestra on a disc of music by Peter Warlock, step-out solos with the Sixteen at the Wigmore Hall, an appearance as ‘The Jewel Thief’ in a new music film by I Fagiolini and solos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a special Doctor Who Anniversary concert in Cardiff.
www.rebeccalea.co.uk
Prize-winning pianist Caroline Jaya-Ratnam is very much in demand as an accompanist and has made television appearances alongside singers Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon and Danielle de Niese. BBC Radio 3 performances include numerous ‘In Tune’ broadcasts, most recently with Nadine Benjamin in Feb 2023. She has given duo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall and has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in Proms within the London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev) and BBC Symphony Orchestra (Bychkov/Oramo). Caroline has also worked as a repetiteur at Glyndebourne and at the English National Opera.
Michael Betteridge is a British-Canadian composer known for bold, story-driven work in opera, orchestral, and choral music. Recent commissions include The Last Bit of the Moon (OperaUpClose) and The Vanishing Forest (English Touring Opera). His work has been performed by the likes of BBC Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, with broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4. A champion of co-creation and participation, his work has twice been nominated in the Impact category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. Founder of LGBTQ+ low voice open access choir The Sunday Boys, he became an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music in 2023.
https://michaelbetteridge.com/
We’re super excited to announce a couple of extra events happening this year – a special weekend of events focusing on the piano and bringing you music for the cosy October season – collaborating with contemporary folk friends Red Deer Club, and local music education hub Musica Kirklees.
- Friday 24th October we welcome the amazing Simeon Walker for an evening of his powerfully moving solo piano music, along with the beautiful lo-fi sounds of Natalie Wildgoose at The Civic, Slaithwaite.
- Saturday 25th October we have a special afternoon event showcasing Musica Kirklees’ Piano students.
- Sunday 26th October we finish with an afternoon recital of Autumn-themed songs featuring the stunning soprano Phoebe Smith and Artistic Director Christopher Pulleyn at St John’s Church, Golcar.
Come along and experience more amazing music with us this Autumn! More details and links to tickets are available here
It’s great to reflect on the effort and work we put into making &Piano a success, and remind ourselves of our ultimate goal – to make classical music as accessible, exciting & engaging as it can be, encouraging more people in our community to explore the genre with us, and fly the flag for the amazing artists from or based in the North of England. And with that, we’ve put together a shiny, colourful summary of everything that happened with some of the wonderful things that our audiences said about our 2025 events. You can check it out here – go take a look, and share it with anyone else you think would be really interested in what we get up to in the future!
The &Piano 2025 Brochure is out now, filled with information about our jam-packed week of fantastic artists and performances from 17th to 24th May. You can visit the digital version of our brochure by clicking this link https://andpiano.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025_Brochure.pdf or visit our What’s On page to find links to buy tickets.
From powerful, gripping instrumental music, to emotional journeys told through song, a classical concert for families, and a showcase of fantastic musical theatre talent – there really is something for everyone in our 2025 Festival! We hope to see you there!
We’re delighted to announce that the &Piano Music Festival will return for it’s 6th Festival between 17th May – 24th May all around the theme of ‘Journeys & Experiences’, with exciting performances all around the beautiful Colne Valley in Huddersfield. Including a dramatic performance of Schubert’s ‘Winter Journey’ at Dark Woods Coffee, Oliver Messiaen’s haunting ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ at Zapato Tap House, performances from the next generation of singers from the Royal Northern College of Music and a concert performance of a rarely heard Musical Theatre gem – ‘It’s Only Life’ featuring songs by renowned composer John Bucchino, at St James’ Church, Slaithwaite. Further details will be revealed shortly with tickets released soon after – put the dates in your diary and join us on this incredible journey….!
&Piano is delighted to announce our very first Christmas special, in partnership with the North of England Centre for Music & Arts at Standedge Visitor Centre in Marsden, Huddersfield, on Sunday 22nd December at 5pm. Come along and join us for a special, cosy late afternoon of carols, classic Christmas tunes, and a bit of magical Musical Theatre, hosted by Christopher Pulleyn at the piano.
Featuring the incredible singer Aimee Fisk, and featuring performances by talented local young singers – this will be a magical event that we’re sure will give you all the feels, and get you in the spirit for the Christmas season!
The North of England Centre for Music & Arts is a 10-15 minute walk from Marsden Train Station. Doors open from 4pm, performance starts at 5pm. Bar is available, serving mulled wine, stollen, gingerbread and mince pies!
It’s been roughly six months since our 2024 Festival wrapped up, and, as we start preparing for the exciting plans we’ve got cooking up for 2025, we thought we’d put together a summary of everything that happened as part of the festival this year.
&Piano returns for it’s 5th festival – celebrating amazing live classical music performed by top professional musicians from across the North of England. This year we’re celebrating the work of British composer Madeleine Dring, who wrote a number of jazzy, catch and entertaining songs, and pieces for Bassoon and Oboe, to mark the recent centenary of her birth. We have another fantastic line up, with incredible singers, musicians from Opera North, and the world premiere of a new song cycle by emerging composer Alice Beckwith setting poems by poet laureate Simon Armitage.
Click here to explore our 2024 brochure and find out more about what’s on
And you can book your tickets here – join us to discover some amazing music!
&Piano expanded it’s 2nd school tour to deliver a full week of performances around schools in Kirklees & Calderdale, helping to introduce secondary students in the region to classical music, and encouraging them to listen and explore the genre along with other genres of music they listen to regularly.
Our performers this year were saxophonist Gillian Blair, and Baritone Ed Robinson, accompanied by Chris Pulleyn on the piano. Students across Halifax, Brighouse, Elland, Huddersfield and Dewsbury were treated to performances of music by John Williams, Schumann, William Grant Still & Lucy Armstrong.
Events for the &Piano Music Festival 2023 have been announced and this year – our 5th year anniversary since our first festival – we have so many exciting events, featuring some fantastic artists lined up that everyone can enjoy – from West End Olivier-award nominated actress Emma Williams, to Piano Quintet ‘Avenue Ensemble’, featuring musicians from the Orchestra of Opera North. We have lots of events for musicians of all backgrounds and ages to get involved in too – our Young Musician Showcase returns to welcome a selection of talented young musicians from around the region, and we also present a new event – our ‘Performance Pub’ – an open-call opportunity for musicians of any background, experience and ability to perform as part of the festival. For all the details about all the events, check out our online brochure here.