Sonnets & Sonatas 8th November: Now on sale!
Sonnets & Sonatas
8th November 2024
Old Amersham
Join us for conversation, words and music exploring Brahms, Clara Schumann, Amy Beach and Fauré alongside Rainer Maria Rilke
Cristian Grajner de Sa violin
John Lenehan piano
Mark Burrows reader
Work with Us! We are Seeking a Schools Liaison for our ListenUp project
A Note From Our Creative Director
Our 2024 programme explored the theme of ‘Human Stories’ — and what a week it was! The programme looked at how we can use music and different art forms to help us bring stories to life, and how we tell stories through various different art forms. Audiences experienced string quartets, choral works, chamber ensembles from duos to quintets, solo artists, film, poetry and literature.
In a new format for Chiltern Arts, the Festival was resident for two days at a time in two of our favourite Chilterns towns, as well as paying shorter visits to two others. Our opening four-day weekend consisted of two days in Henley-on-Thames and two days in and around Princes Risborough: two charming towns with so much to offer, and with time between events to explore at your leisure as well, and we loved encouraging everyone to take time to enjoy the local area.
Another new aspect of our work for 2024 is our ListenUp & ListenIn project, designed to inspire a new generation of audiences by offering young people the opportunity to attend concerts, and to provide additional resources that will bring them — and you! — different ways to explore and enjoy our events. The pilot phase is still underway, and you can see the resources on our ListenUp and ListenIn page.
As ever, this year we have continued to rely on the generosity of our members, donors and partners — and I’d like to say a really heartfelt thank you to every single one of you for your ongoing support. Thank you for journeying with us in 2024...Until next year!
— Naomi Taylor, Creative Director
Artistic Excellence in the Chiltern Hills
Since its inception in 2017, Chiltern Arts has committed to bringing the highest quality music and arts to the Chiltern Hills. Held annually, the festival spans a week in May with a musically diverse programme, featuring some of the UK's most extraordinary musicians — and now also including a number of familiar names from the world of literature too.
In partnership with the Worshipful Company of Musicians since 2022, our Take Note Young Artist Platform continues to support young and emerging professional ensembles, and our outreach efforts expand in 2024 with the pilot phase of ListenUp & ListenIn, bringing young people into the concert hall and providing free online resources that offer new ways to enjoy and explore music.
Our events are hosted in a variety of picturesque locations across the Chilterns, including over the years churches, halls and theatres in Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Princes Risborough, High Wycombe, Great Missenden, Amersham and Berkhamsted.
“Judging by the quality of the music performed on this occasion and surveying the remarkable array of talent that had been lined up for the remainder of the festival, Chiltern Arts deserves to succeed and we should do everything we can to support it.”
— Henley Standard