On Wednesday 5th October, The Two Moors Festival will commence with the celebration of 150th Anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams at Exeter Cathedral. From Pub to Pulpit has been described by The Times, The Observer and Gramophone Magazine as a “stand out” event in the celebrations marking Ralph Vaughan Williams’s 150th birthday and pilot shows resulted in “house full” notices. There’ll also be a workshop for keen singers before the performance.

The Festival is celebrating the theme of friendship in music, Artistic Director and violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen  programme which includes pieces by the Schumanns, Schubert, Beethoven, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

The internationally-renowned Festival takes place over nine days in October – on Dartmoor from Wednesday 5th – Sunday 9th October 2022, and on Exmoor from Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th October 2022. Venues on range from Exeter Cathedral to St Eustachuis’ Church Tavistock, from Great Fulford, Dunsford to St Michael the Archangel’s Church, Chagford, from St Andrew’s Church Wiviliscombe to Dunster Tithe Barn, from All Saint’s Church Dulverton to St George’s Church, Dunster.

Highlights of the 2022 Festival on Dartmoor include:

  • Performance of Schubert’s song cycles – Schubert’s Winterreise with Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu
  • 400 years for Matthew Locke, in Exeter Cathedral, where he once carved his name
  • ““At the Schumanns’” three concerts will be held at the historic country house of Great Fulford, near Exeter
  • A family interactive concert with the Albion Quartet

And on Exmoor:

  • Celebrated author Michael Morpurgo will re-enact his best-selling book War Horse with Ben Murray, the original Songman from the National Theatre production
  • Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 (arranged by Bill Thorp for voice and string quartet)  with soprano, Anna Dennis and the Consone Quartet
  • National Opera Studio’s Gala concert
  • Young Musicians’ Competition Winners concert
  • Late Night Jazz with Alice Zawadski

Further visiting artists include I Fagiolini, Fretwork, the Orsino Ensemble, Jess Dandy and Elisabeth Brauss interspersed with some pre-concert talks from Laura Tunbridge from Oxford University and Katy Hamilton.

Tamsin Waley-CohenArtistic Director said: This year I have chosen the theme of “Friendship”. The extended lockdowns and isolations that we have all experienced over these last two years have highlighted ever more indelibly how vital a lifeline our friendships are to us all. John Donne said “No man is an island”, and as usual, he knew what he was talking about. We are exploring this theme throughout the Festival, visiting the home of the Schumanns’, looking at Beethoven, Mozart, and Schumann, Dvořák, Janáček, and Haas, as well as celebrating anniversaries of Vaughan-Williams and Matthew Locke.“

Tickets  are on sale to the general public now. For further details please go to the website – www.twomoorsfestival.co.uk