An Invitation to Music

Welcome to Penrith Music Club and our 80th season of outstanding concerts by internationally distinguished musicians and gifted young performers with a great future.

2023-24 Season

We look forward to welcoming you to our concerts!

All concerts are at the Penrith Methodist church and start at 7:30pm unless otherwise advised.

Season preview

Penrith Music Club has been bringing high-quality international artists to the area for eighty years and its 2023-24 season of classical music promises to be another outstanding year.

The season will open on Monday 18th September when the Roscoe Piano Trio will be playing Frank Bridge’s Phantasie Trio, Mendelssohn’s Trio no.1 in D minor and Beethoven’s Archduke Piano Trio in B flat major, one of the greatest piano trios in the repertoire. Pianist Martin Roscoe, a familiar figure to Cumbrian audiences, will be joined by Fenella Humphreys (violin) and Jessica Burroughs (cello).

In October former BBC Young Musician finalist Sarah Beth Briggs will be making her second appearance at Penrith Music Club. Sarah has worked with many international orchestras and is well-known both as a solo pianist and a chamber music player, Her recital of piano music by Mozart. Hans Gal, Mendelssohn, Beethoven. Schubert and Chopin, includes several pieces from her recent CD, Variations.

Our final concert of 2023 is a violin recital by Alexander Sitkovestsky with piano accompanist Wu Qian. Born in Moscow and then becoming a student at the Menuhin School, Alexander is one of the leading violinists of the present time, gaining international recognition both as solo performer and conductor. His programme includes violin sonatas by Fauré and Franck, as well as Ravel’s rhapsodic Tzigane.

The opening concert of 2024 brings the London Handel Players to Penrith for the first time in a programme of music from the Baroque period – a real musical treat! Handel, J.S.Bach, Geminiani, Corelli and Telemann feature in a programme for flute, recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord from the early 18th century.

February’s concert will be a piano recital by Victor Lim, born in South Korea, a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2012 and winner of the Royal Northern College of Music’s Gold Medal in 2021. Already building an international reputation, Victor has gained acclaim for his interpretation of the music of Schumann, whose Kreisleriana is included in the programme, together with works by Schubert, Debussy and the American composer Amy Beach.

Our final evening recital will be given by the Maxwell String Quartet, one of the most impressive young quartets of the present day. As well as playing Haydn’s Quartet in E flat, op.20 no.1, and Beethoven’s Quartet in C sharp minor, op.131. a remarkable and visionary work of his final years, the quartet will be playing Worksongs – folk music from their native Scotland, another area of string playing in which the quartet is making a growing reputation.

The season concludes with our annual afternoon concert by musicians from the Junior Department of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, showcasing some of the most promising musical talent of the future. If 2023’s concert is anything to go on, this will be a joyful and uplifting end to our season.

Penrith Methodist Church with its excellent Steinway grand piano is the venue for all the concerts.

Colin Marston

Updated on 26th September 2023 Contact webmaster	We're on Facebook		And we're on Twitter		And Instagram